KAGAME REPORTEDLY DISAPPOINTED WITH LACK OF USG

S E C R E T KIGALI 000877 DEPARTMENT FOR AF DAS YAMAMOTO, AF/C AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2014 TAGS: PREL PINS MOPS RW CG SUBJECT: KAGAME REPORTEDLY DISAPPOINTED WITH LACK OF USG CRITICISM OF KABILA REF: KIGALI 000871 CLASSIFIED BY: ERIC WONG, POLITICAL OFFICER. REASON: 1.4 (D). ¶1. (S/NF) ON JUNE 24, A SENIOR RWANDAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL IN THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT PROVIDED COMMENTS ON THE REACTION OF PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME TO A MEETING WITH VISITING AF DAS DON YAMAMOTO AND AF/C DIRECTOR AL EASTHAM ON JUNE 23 IN KIGALI. ¶2. (S/NF) KAGAME WAS REPORTEDLY DISAPPOINTED THAT THE USG OFFICIALS SAID LITTLE THAT WAS CRITICAL OF PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA. HE BELIEVED THAT THE OFFICIALS FOCUSED TOO STRONGLY ON THE QUESTION OF WHETHER RWANDA WOULD SEND TROOPS INTO EASTERN CONGO, WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF MOST CONCERN TO RWANDA: THE FAILURE OF THE DRC GOVERNMENT TO DISARM AND REPATRIATE THE RWANDAN REBELS IN THE EASTERN DRC. ¶3. (S/NF) THE GOR OFFICIAL NOTED THAT KAGAME'S DISAPPOINTMENT STRENGTHENED INTO ANGER WHEN HE LEARNED THAT, LATER ON JUNE 24, THE UNSC HAD ISSUED A STATEMENT (S/PRST/2004/21) THAT, IN THE VIEW OF THE RWANDANS, WAS MORE CRITICAL OF RWANDA THAN IT WAS OF THE DRC. IN ADDITION, THE UK GOVERNMENT WARNED RWANDA IN STRONG TERMS TO AVOID A NEW INTERVENTION IN THE EASTERN DRC. THESE STATEMENTS, ACCORDING TO THE RWANDAN OFFICIAL, WERE ALSO OVERLY CRITICAL OF RWANDA, WHILE AVOIDING THE REAL ISSUE OF THE FAILURE OF THE DRC TO IMPLEMENT DISARMAMENT, DEMOBILIZATION, REINTEGRATION AND RESETTLEMENT OR REPATRIATION OPERATIONS (DDRRR) OF REBEL COMBATANTS. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: KAGAME'S JUNE 24 MEETING WITH YAMAMOTO, EASTHAM, AMBASSADOR AND POLOFF (NOTE-TAKER) WAS CORDIAL. THE JUNE 24 UNSC STATEMENT CALLS ON THE GOR TO REFRAIN FROM SUPPORTING ARMED GROUPS IN THE CONGO, PARTICULARLY THOSE LED BY GEN. LAURENT NKUNDA AND COL. JULES MUTEBUSI, BUT MAKES NO REFERENCE TO THE EX-FAR/INTERAHAMWE OR FDLR. END COMMENT. MCMILLION