DRC PRESIDENT KABILA SUPPORTS NEW REWARDS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002982 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/C AND S/WCI, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2012 TAGS: PREL PHUM KJUS CG CF RW IT ICTR SUBJECT: DRC PRESIDENT KABILA SUPPORTS NEW REWARDS FOR JUSTICE PROGRAM REF: STATE 11370 CLASSIFIED BY: ACTING POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS FOR REA CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 02982 190758Z SONS 1.5(B),(D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. DRC PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA SAID THE NEW REWARDS FOR JUSTICE IN RWANDA PROGRAM (REFTEL) HAS 100 PERCENT OF HIS PERSONAL SUPPORT, AS WELL AS THAT OF THE GOVERNMENT, BUT HE ADDED THAT THE PROGRAM MUST LEAD TO RWANDA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DRC OR IT WON'T SUCCEED. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) WHILE IN ROME FOR THE FAO SUMMIT, KABILA MET WITH AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR WAR CRIMES PIERRE PROSPER AND DR. JENDAYI FRAZIER (NSC) ON JUNE 13 TO DISCUSS THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED REWARDS FOR JUSTICE IN RWANDA PROGRAM. AMBASSADOR PROSPER URGED KABILA TO SUPPORT THE INITIATIVE, WHICH FOCUSES ON NINE TO FIFTEEN KEY SUSPECTS INDICTED FOR GENOCIDE BY THE ICTR, AS A MEANS OF REMOVING RWANDA'S EXCUSE FOR OCCUPYING PARTS OF THE DRC. AFTER OFFERING HIS FULL SUPPORT, KABILA CAUTIONED THAT HIS PEOPLE MAY NOT TAKE THE IDEA SERIOUSLY. KABILA STATED THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULD ALSO WANT TO SEE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE MILLIONS OF CONGOLESE DEATHS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS IN THE EASTERN CONGO, INCLUDING THOSE WHO DIED IN KISANGANI ONLY WEEKS AGO. HE ENCOURAGED AMB. PROSPER TO BE PREPARED TO ANSWER THE TOUGH QUESTIONS HE WOULD ENCOUNTER FROM AVERAGE CITIZENS OR THE PROGRAM WOULD LOSE CREDIBILITY. OUR PRIORITY IS TO SEE RWANDA OUT OF OUR COUNTRY, KABILA STRESSED. ¶3. (C) BOTH AMB. PROSPER AND DR. FRAZIER EMPHASIZED THAT THE PROGRAM IS ONE PART OF A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO RESTORING STABILITY IN THE REGION. IF THIS LEADERSHIP GROUP CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE EQUATION, RWANDA WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 02982 190758Z CLAIM THAT A SECURITY THREAT EXISTS THAT WARRANTS ITS OCCUPATION OF PARTS OF THE DRC. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CAN THEN PRESSURE RWANDA TO WITHDRAW. KABILA COMMENTED THAT HE WOULD PREFER MILITARY PRESSURE TO POLITICAL PRESSURE FOR SUCH A COMPLICATED PROBLEM, BUT REAFFIRMED HIS SUPPORT FOR THE REWARDS PROGRAM. HE INVITED AMB. PROSPER TO PRESENT THE PROGRAM IN KINSHASA THE SECOND WEEK IN JULY. AMB. PROSPER ADDED THAT HE HAD MET WITH RWANDAN PRESIDENT KAGAME ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND HAD EXPLAINED THAT A RWANDAN WITHDRAWAL WAS A PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE. ¶4. (C) KABILA ASKED HOW THE INITIATIVE WOULD BE COORDINATED WITH THE ICTR. AMB. PROSPER EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD MET WITH CARLA DEL PONTE AND INVESTIGATOR WALPIN, AND HAD SET UP A TASK FORCE IN KENYA TO RESPOND TO LEADS ON ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL INDICTEES, KABUGA. A SIMILAR SET-UP WAS ENVISIONED FOR KINSHASA, WITH AN AMERICAN LINKED TO ARUSHA AND WORKING WITH THE CONGOLESE TO FOLLOW UP ON TIPS. ¶5. (C) KABILA SAID A SOLUTION WAS NEEDED FOR THOSE RWANDESE BEING HELD IN KAMINA AND THE FOOT SOLDIERS. AMB. PROSPER OFFERED THAT THE REWARDS PROGRAM WOULD HELP HERE TOO BY "CUTTING OFF THE HEAD OF THE SNAKE," LEAVING LOWER-LEVEL SOLDIERS. AMB. PROSPER NOTED THAT RWANDAN OFFICIALS HAVE SAID THAT RWANDA WILL ACCEPT THE REPATRIATION OF THESE FOOT SOLDIERS ONCE THE LEADERS INDICTED BY THE ICTR HAVE BEEN APPREHENDED. WHEN PRESSED BY KABILA AS TO HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE, AMB. PROSPER REPLIED THAT KABILA'S HELP WITH APPREHENDING THE INDICTEES WAS CRUCIAL; WORKING TOGETHER, WITH THE ICTR, MONUS AND OTHER ENTITIES, TO TAKE THEM INTO CUSTODY WOULD TAKE A "REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, NOT YEARS," CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 02982 190758Z AMB. PROSPER ESTIMATED. HE STRESSED, HOWEVER, THAT THE ACTUAL APPREHENSION WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE BY THE DRC. APPREHENDING THE LEADERS WOULD NOT RESULT IN RWANDA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DRC THE NEXT DAY, DR. FRAZIER ADMITTED, BUT IT WOULD BE A KEY ELEMENT IN THE OVERALL EFFORT TO END THE CONFLICT AND WOULD BRING TREMENDOUS INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON RWANDA TO WITHDRAW FROM THE DRC. ¶6. (C) IN TALKING WITH MEMBERS OF THE PRESS FOLLOWING THE MEETING, AMB. PROSPER NOTED KABILA'S SUPPORT FOR THE REWARDS PROGRAM, AND STRESSED THE NEED TO ENSURE THESE EFFORTS LEAD TO A RWANDAN WITHDRAWAL FROM THE DRC. HE MENTIONED KAGAME HAD ALSO EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR THE INITIATIVE, AND EMPHASIZED THAT IT WOULD TAKE A TEAM EFFORT TO SUCCEED IN BRINGING THE INDICTEES TO JUSTICE. IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION ABOUT MONUC, KABILA TOLD THE PRESS THAT THE REUNIFICATION OF THE DRC IS THE PRIORITY - ANYTHING THAT ISN'T MOVING TOWARD THAT IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. ¶7. (U) THIS CABLE HAS BEEN CLEARED BY AMBASSADOR PROSPER. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME02982 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL