ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000618 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MOPS ZI CG SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC SITUATION CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: MINISTER OF STATE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY NICHOLAS GOCHE TOLD CHARGE FEBRUARY 1 THAT ZIMBABWE IS COMMITTED TO THE LUSAKA PEACE PROCESS AND URGED THE US SECRET PAGE 02 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z TO CONTINUE PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN RESOLVING THE DRC WAR. ZIMBABWE WANTS TO GIVE NEW DRC PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA TIME TO STABILIZE THE SITUATION IN KINSHASA, ACCORDING TO GOCHE. ZIMBABWE DOES NOT KNOW WHETHER KABILA IS A TEMPORARY FIGURE OR NOT, AND IT DOES NOT REALLY KNOW WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS IN KINSHASA, GOCHE ADMITTED. GOCHE'S REMARKS REINFORCED OUR ASSESSMENT THAT ZIMBABWE IS BIDING ITS TIME IN THE DRC UNTIL IT CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IT CAN DO ABOUT IT. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (S) ON FEBRUARY 1, CHARGE, ACCOMPANIED BY ROAL CHIEF AND POLOFF (NOTETAKER),CALLED ON MINISTER OF STATE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY NICHOLAS GOCHE, WHO IS ONE OF THE KEY FIGURES DIRECTING ZIMBABWE'S EFFORT IN THE DRC. GOCHE NOTED THAT HE HAS MOSTLY RECOVERED FROM SERIOUS INJURIES SUSTAINED IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN OCTOBER, BUT WAS STILL EXPERIENCING SOME PAIN AND DISCOMFORT WITH HIS LEFT LEG. HE SAID HIS INJURIES HAD NOT REQUIRED SURGERY. ¶3. (C) CHARGE ASKED GOCHE FOR HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE DRC SITUATION FOLLOWING LAURENT KABILA'S ASSASSINATION AND ZIMBABWE'S NEXT STEPS. GOCHE STATED THAT THE DRC ALLIES ARE COMMITTED TO PEACE AND THE LUSAKA ACCORDS. LUSAKA IS THE ONLY FRAMEWORK UNDER WHICH ZIMBABWE AND THE OTHER PLAYERS CAN WITHDRAW THEIR FORCES. ZIMBABWE WANTS A ROLE IN THE NEW DISPENSATION IN KINSHASA TO ENSURE THAT ITS GOALS FOR PEACE ARE REALIZED, GOCHE CONTINUED, BUT IT CANNOT ACT ALONE. IT NEEDS THE OTHER PLAYERS. GOCHE EXPRESSED THE BELIEF THAT UGANDA DOES NOT SHARE THE ALLIES' DESIRE FOR PEACE, AND THAT IT IS MORE INTERESTED SECRET PAGE 03 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z IN OVERTHROWING THE KABILA GOVERNMENT. THE MINISTER MENTIONED THAT RWANDAN PRESIDENT KAGAME HAD ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT PRESIDENT MUGABE, BUT HE DID NOT KNOW IF THAT CONVERSATION HAD TAKEN PLACE YET. AS FOR THE NON-STATE ACTORS SUCH AS THE INTERAHAMWE, THE MINISTER STATED THAT THEY NEED TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, BUT THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE A HINDRANCE TO THE PEACE PROCESS. ¶4. (C) ZIMBABWE WANTS TO GIVE KABILA TIME TO STABILIZE THE SITUATION IN KINSHASA, THE MINISTER PROFESSED. IT WANTS KABILA TO FIRMLY ESTABLISH HIS AUTHORITY SO THAT WHATEVER AGREEMENT HE REACHES WITH HIS OPPONENTS WILL LAST. BUT ZIMBABWE DOES WANT HIM TO NEGOTIATE WITH BOTH HIS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FOES. GOCHE BELIEVES THAT JOSEPH KABILA IS MORE FLEXIBLE THAN HIS FATHER WAS. DESPITE THIS, THE GOZ DOES NOT KNOW IF KABILA WILL BE A TEMPORARY FIGURE OR NOT--THE DUST HAS NOT QUITE SETTLED FROM HIS FATHER'S KILLING. GOCHE QUICKLY CORRECTED HIMSELF AND SAID THAT AGREEMENTS INTO WHICH THE NEW CONGOLESE PRESIDENT ENTERED WOULD BE HONORED. KABILA NEEDS MORE FRIENDS THAN HIS FATHER HAD, AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO BE MORE OPEN AND TO ARTICULATE HIS POLICIES MORE CLEARLY, THE SECURITY MINISTER OFFERED. WHEN ASKED IF THE ANGOLANS WERE CALLING THE SHOTS IN KINSHASA, GOCHE SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THEY WERE, BUT HE DID NOT REALLY KNOW WHO WAS CALLING THE SHOTS, BUT IT SHOULD BE THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE. ¶5. (C) GOCHE NOTED THAT IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT KABILA FELT SECURE ENOUGH TO GO TO THE UNITED STATES SO SOON AFTER HIS INAUGURATION. ZIMBABWE IS "HAPPY" THAT KABILA SECRET PAGE 04 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z IS VISITING WASHINGTON, AND GOCHE URGED THE U.S. TO CONTINUE PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN RESOLVING THE DRC CRISIS. THE DRC WILL ALSO NEED A HUGE AMOUNT OF AID TO REBUILD, AND GOCHE ENCOURAGED THE U.S. TO CONTRIBUTE SUBSTANTIALLY TO THIS EFFORT. HE BELIEVES IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE U.S. REMAIN "UNBIASED" IN ITS DIALOGUE WITH THE DRC PLAYERS. FURTHERMORE, THE U.S. SHOULD NOT BE RELUCTANT TO PERSUADE THE UN TO FULLY DEPLOY MONUC. WHEN ASKED IF ALLIED FORCES WERE REGROUPING NEAR PWETO, GOCHE STATED THAT IT WAS NOT TRUE, AND THAT IF THE ALLIES HAD WANTED TO RETAKE PWETO, THEY WOULD HAVE DONE SO WITH EASE BY NOW. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: DESPITE HIS POSITION AS ONE OF THE KEY ZIMBABWEAN FIGURES ON DRC POLICY, MINISTER GOCHE WAS NOT PARTICULARLY FORTHCOMING AND STUCK TO THE STANDARD GOZ LINE ON THE DRC. HIS COMMENTS REINFORCE OUR ASSESSMENT THAT ZIMBABWE IS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE INTERNAL DRC POLITICAL SITUATION AND WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN STILL INFLUENCE EVENTS IN KINSHASA. GOCHE'S ATYPICALLY STRONG URGING OF GREATER U.S. INVOLVEMENT SIGNALS TO US THAT THE GOZ IS MORE KEEN THAN EVER FOR A RESOLUTION THAT WOULD PERMIT IT TO BRING BACK THE BULK OF ITS DRC FORCES SECRET SECRET PTQ9449 PAGE 01 HARARE 00618 02 OF 02 011309Z ACTION AF-00 INFO LOG-00 MFA-01 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 PM-00 SSO-00 SS-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W -------------- BEFE33 011309Z /38 O 011307Z FEB 01 FM AMEMBASSY HARARE TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8162 INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY RWANDA COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE S E C R E T SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000618 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/11 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MOPS ZI CG SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC SITUATION BEFORE THE EARLY 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. END COMMENT. IRVING SECRET >