OCTOBER 21 MEETING WITH PRESIDENT, VP'S:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 001776

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM CG
SUBJECT: OCTOBER 21 MEETING WITH PRESIDENT, VP'S:
ELECTIONS, WAGES, SECURITY SECTOR


Classified By: Ambassador Roger Meece. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

1.(C) Summary: The International Committee to Accompany the
Transition (CIAT) met with the DRC,s President and Vice
Presidents October 21 to review election preparations, the
impact of current civil service strikes and wage
negotiations, and problems in security sector reform
activities. Election concerns focused on the tight election
calendar and the pending draft electoral law. The potential
deficit impact of public sector wage settlements was
discussed, with VP Bemba suggesting potential revenue hikes
to cover the bill. Security sector questions centered on
delays starting the "second wave" of military integration
training programs, adoption and implementation of the
European Union Security Mission (EUSEC) reform report, and
deployments of formed integrated brigades to operational
zones. Discussion indicated steps underway or imminent in
all areas, but we believe CIAT follow-up will be needed.
While significant issues were covered by the three-hour plus
meeting, the results were less definitive than hoped or
achieved in some previous similar sessions. End summary.

First Up in All Discussions: Elections
--------------

2.(C) Chiefs of Mission of the member states of the CIAT met
for over three hours with President Kabila and Vice
Presidents Ruberwa, Bemba, and Yerodia (the "Espace
Presidentiel") on Friday afternoon, October 21. Vice
President Z,Ahidi Ngoma was not present. Various other
officials, including the Defense and Civil Service Ministers,
the Vice President of the Independent Election Commission
(CEI),and the IMF Resident Representative were also invited
to participate in relevant portions of the meeting. The
session had been postponed for over two weeks, due to the
absence in Kinshasa of one or more of the Vice Presidents.

3.(C) Discussion began with the centerpiece issue of the DRC
Transition, election preparations. The CEI Vice President
opened with a status update, reporting that over 17 million
voters had been registered, but acknowledging delays in rural
registration deployments in the last two provinces going
through the voter registration process, Bandundu and
Equateur. Bandundu, roughly the size of Ivory Coast, is a
particular problem with substantially less than half the
planned registration centers open. The CEI official stated
that registration in those two provinces is likely to have to
continue until the end of November, even while registration
everywhere else should be completed by the November 13 target
date. General discussion focused on the need to maintain the
(delayed) constitutional referendum target date of December

18. Vice Presidents Bemba and Ruberwa also voiced various
specific concerns primarily related to their respective home
provinces of Equateur and South Kivu, respectively. All
parties underscored concerns about keeping the overall
election calendar on track to ensure full completion of
general elections prior to the statutory end of the
Transition, June 30, 2006


4. (C) The CEI also reported that civic education efforts
have just been started to publicize the draft constitution in
anticipation of the constitution referendum. Sample
publications were distributed of education booklets and local
language translations of the draft Constitution.


5. (C) The GDRC leaders reported that the Council of
Ministers started reviewing the draft general election law in
a marathon session October 19, with the review to continue
October 24. President Kabila and VP Ruberwa expressed some
annoyance with a CIAT October 13 communique that had
criticized the delay in getting a draft law to Parliament,
observing that communication by communique is not the most
desirable means of talking. The leaders also pledged
themselves to rapid completion of the review and transmission
of an adopted draft to Parliament. (Comment: The communique
seems to have had its desired effect. End comment.)

Wages, Deficits and Social Unrest
--------------


6. (C) The Civil Service Minister read out a rather lengthy
statement asserting the government,s commitment to civil
service reform and adequate pay, in reference to the ongoing
parallel strikes of teachers and many civil service
employees. (Note: As reported previously, Kinshasa teachers
have gone back to work for at least three months under a
tentative deal, but teachers in the interior and most civil
service employees remain on strike. Emotions are still
tending to run very high over how the government can and will
deal with the wretched pay and support levels now provided to
most mid- and lower-level public sector employees. End
note.) The Minister also noted that an Inter-Ministerial
Committee has been established to deal with the ongoing
problem.


7. (C) Both CIAT and GDRC officials noted the need to
maintain the integrity of the DRC,s IMF program, including a
balanced budget, while trying to reach a solution to the
problems. VP Bemba noted that the GDRC,s budget has tripled
in three years, but remains in balance. Further increases
are expected in 2006, but the wage increases under discussion
will need offsets. Bemba suggested that the government will
be looking at further revenue increases, including potential
new taxes on air travel or in other areas, to close any
deficit gaps. Responding to CIAT statements about further
expenditure controls, Bemba also asserted that substantial
reductions in discretionary areas (e.g., travel),have
already been achieved, but observed that the executive does
not control the Parliamentary budget where similar reductions
have yet to be made. All parties also agreed on the need for
completion of a civil service "census" as quickly as
possible, with significant anticipated reductions in the
claimed payroll available to offset at least a portion of the
prospective needed wage increases.

Security Sector Reforms
--------------

8.(C) The need to improve military pay and support was the
first major security-related topic, with current systems
widely acknowledged as being totally inadequate. Defense
Minister Onusumba attempted to present a summary of steps
being taken to improve the situation, and referenced the
pending European Union Security Mission (EUSEC) report, which
he said "will permit improvements". The Ambassador and other
CIAT members pressed the Espace officials regarding the
status of the EUSEC report. VP Ruberwa reported that it
should be discussed at a Superior Defense Council meeting the
week of October 24. Responding to further questions,
Ruberwa, Bemba, and President Kabila indicated general
support for the report, but both Ruberwa and Kabila stated
that "two or three" amendments will be required, without
specifying what those will be. In response to the
Ambassador,s question about an implementation timetable,
Ruberwa indicated that implementation should begin in
November. Ruberwa and Defense Minister Onusumba also
reported that savings realized from the ongoing military
census exercise to-date showing lower numbers of troops than
previous claimed, were already been utilized to implement
long-promised adjustments of flat salaries to ones based on
rank and grade. (Comment: Although this falls far short of
the kind of wage improvements that are urgently needed. End
comment).

9.(C) Designated in advance to take the lead for the CIAT
regarding the security sector agenda item, the Ambassador
laid out a list of issues, with a particular focus on the
growing delays to start the "second wave" of army integration
training camps, and related delays in the associated DDR
program. The Ambassador also underscored concerns about
getting formed and trained integrated brigades deployed to
operational areas. He observed that reported long-awaited
deployments to South Kivu in recent days were welcome, but
these appeared to be from the Kamina (Third) Integrated
brigade, rather than the Second Brigade as provided in the
national strategic plan. On behalf of CIAT, the Ambassador
advanced two specific ideas, to prepare a summary report in
coming days of exactly where all soldiers are in terms of
regroupment or orientation centers for the next integration
cycle, and to convene a meeting chaired by President Kabila
to include VP,s Ruberwa and Bemba, the Ministers of Interior
and Defence, the military Chief of Staff, military district
commanders, and CIAT members to ensure "mutual" comprehension
of integration, DDR, and other reform plans.

10.(C) Responses, mainly from VP Ruberwa and President
Kabila, noted that changes to the national strategic plan may
be required in response to changing circumstances (Comment:
thus implicitly confirming the Kamina brigade deployment
reports. End comment). Both, as well as Defense Minister
Onusumba, asserted that significant progress should be seen
in the next two weeks to start the next integration training
cycle. None of the GDRC officials addressed the two specific
suggestions, deflecting discussion toward the next Joint
Commission on Security Meeting (expected the week of October
24),other logistics and deployment issues, and other
security-related topics. In subsequent discussion, Onusumba
defended charges that soldiers going into integration or DDR
programs were not turning in their weapons, asserting that
many of these had not been previously issued arms.
Referencing voiced concerns that Presidential Guard (GSSP)
units had not been included in national integration plans,
Kabila countered that all GSSP units would indeed to subject
to the integration process at a future date, and that there
is an approved plan to this end, but he did not provide
details. Several comments were made about former Zairian
army officers in Congo-Brazzaville seeking to return to the
DRC; Kabila said that he considered them perfectly eligible
for DDR programs.

Post-Meeting
--------------

11.(C) The meeting closed with a President Kabila request to
SRSG Swing to provide a read-out of how things were going at
the Tripartite Plus meeting in Kampala; Swing had just
returned from Kampala. This was followed by general
agreement from all present on the importance of moving to
ensure disarmament and repatriation of all foreign forces in
the DRC following the expiration of the Sept 30 deadline, and
the need for supplementary pressure to be exerted against
FDLR leaders outside the region. There was tentative
agreement for the Espace Presidentiel group and the CIAT to
meet again prior to the arrival in the DRC of the UN Security
Council, currently expected November 5.

12.(C) The CIAT met subsequent to the Espace meeting. There
was general agreement among CIAT members that CIAT concerns
had registered, but that fewer concrete decisions were
reached during the meeting than had been hoped. CIAT members
asked SRSG Swing to send a letter to the Espace reiterating
specific CIAT suggestions in writing (e.g. the convening of a
general military meeting and the preparation of an
integration status summary report). All also agreed that
further follow-up will be required during the forthcoming
Joint Security Commission meeting, as well as future
Espace/CIAT meetings.
MEECE