UNSC REITERATES SECURITY, ELECTION CONCERNS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 001860 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM KPKO CG UNSC SUBJECT: UNSC REITERATES SECURITY, ELECTION CONCERNS IN KINSHASA Classified By: Ambassador Roger Meece. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) Summary: An intense schedule for the visiting U.N. Security Council in Kinshasa focused on the election process and security sector reform. There was some focus of good governance issues, although clear misgivings by some UNSC members limited those discussions. For reasons that are unclear, President Kabila delayed his scheduled meeting with the Council until 6:00 a.m. Monday morning. Given its prestige and importance to the DRC, the UNSC provided welcome reinforcement of messages from the members of the International Committee to Accompany the Transition (CIAT) on the need to respect the election calendar, rapidly adopt and implement the pending EUSEC military pay and support reform package, and accelerate movement toward the next cycle of military integration training. The responses provided by the Congolese to these points were for the most part familiar, but nonetheless the Council,s message was helpful. End summary. The Sixth Visit -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The U.N. Security Council arrived in Kinshasa on Saturday evening, November 6 for its sixth visit in six years to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Council had an internal working dinner hosted by SRSG Swing on Saturday night, and the delegation leader, the French PermRep accompanied by the Algerian PermRep, met with opposition UDPS leader Tshisekedi Saturday night at the French Ambassador,s residence (being reported septel). The Council held a full day of meetings on Sunday in Kinshasa, and departed Monday, November 7 for an election-related visit to Mbuji Mayi (Eastern Kasai province) and security sector related visit to the military integration center at Kamina (Katanga Province) before proceeding on to Bujumbura. Kabila Delayed -------------- ¶3. (C) President Kabila, originally scheduled to meet with the UNSC Sunday morning, sent word late last week that he would not return from Lubumbashi in time, proposing instead a Monday morning meeting. SRSG Swing was apparently unable to convince Kabila or his key aides that such a course would be counterproductive and notified at least the French and American Ambassadors of the problem. Calls late last week from both similarly produced no change. The reasons cited for the problem were not credible. For example, Presidency Ambassador-at-Large Ghonda told the Ambassador that Kabila had originally been informed the UNSC was arriving on Sunday, not Saturday, and that his plans were already firm. The end result was that Kabila reportedly returned to Kinshasa Sunday, but did not meet with the Council until Monday. To accommodate the UNSC,s travel for the day, the Kabila meeting took place at 6:00 a.m. UNSC/CIAT Breakfast -------------- ¶4. (C) The UNSC opened its Sunday schedule with a 7:00 a.m. breakfast with the member Ambassadors of the International Committee to Accompany the Transition (CIAT). Most of the discussion during the breakfast focused on the election process, with some debate about good governance issues, and military pay. Time expired before a scheduled discussion of Security Sector Reform could get underway, as the Council held an impromptu internal meeting to decide how to revise its schedule to include a Monday Kabila meeting (see the previous paragraph). ¶5. (C) The discussion of elections focused on familiar themes, including the enormous logistical challenges still ahead. The Japanese Ambassador asked if delays by DPKO and the UN bureaucracy requesting and disbursing money to MONUC for elections logistics support created major problems. The answer was a firm yes. Registration operations were reviewed, and plans described to distribute election materials to 40,000 polling centers for the scheduled December constitutional referendum. All agreed on the importance of continuing to push as much as possible to ensure key milestones on the election calendar are reached as quickly as possible. Delay beyond the scheduled Jun 30, 2006, transition deadline was simply unacceptable and could produce chaotic conditions in the country. ¶6. (C) The Russian and Chinese UNSC representatives, and to a lesser extent some other Council members, expressed their discomfort about taking issues of good governance too far, repeating points that have been previously reported from USUN during UNSC discussions. The Ambassador and other CIAT members, however, noted the central importance of military pay and support issues to all aspects of the Transition. In this regard, he and other CIAT members encouraged Council members to urge rapid adoption and implementation of the pending European Security Mission (EUSEC) report for FARDC administrative and support reforms in their meetings with the Congolese, noting the issue was both one of good governance and essential security sector reforms. Security Sector -------------- ¶7. (U) The UNSC met Sunday afternoon with Congolese and international members of the Mixed Commission on Security, chaired by Vice President Ruberwa. Commission members present included the Ministers of Defense and Interior, Vice Ministers of several ministries, the head of the military integration and DDR processes, and several Ambassadors, including the U.S. Ambassador, among others. ¶8. (C) French PermRep de la Sabliere started the session by underscoring UNSC concerns about delays in getting the next wave of integration training underway, and continuing problems to provide salaries and other support to deployed FARDC troops. Clearly anticipating the topics, VP Ruberwa responded with a long presentation outlining GDRC plans. Ruberwa identified integration delays as related to preparation of training centers, ongoing transport problems to get troops to the right centers, and, introducing a topic not cited in prior meetings with the CIAT or Mixed Commission, Ruberwa said growing numbers of troops were choosing to be demobilized rather than integrated into the new national army creating shortages for the integration centers. Referencing detailed discussions in recent Mixed Commission and Espace Presidentiel/CIAT meetings, Ruberwa laid out a planning calendar that will produce 18 integrated brigades prior to June, 2006. Ruberwa asserted two centers will be filled this week, a result of decisions taken by the Mixed Commission last week, and asserted that six additional integrated brigades can and will be formed by the end of the calendar year. ¶9. (C) Regarding salaries and support, Ruberwa noted that this subject has received substantial discussion with the CIAT and in Mixed Commission meetings. He reiterated that a key element to provide progress is completion of the South Africa-led census now underway, and noted that claimed numbers of combatants have already been substantially reduced. Ruberwa also repeated assurances earlier provided to the CIAT and Mixed Commission that the pending EUSEC reform report would be adopted, likely with a few amendments, at the next meeting of the Supreme Defense Council. Ruberwa also indicated that IMF emphasis on a pro-poor budget also created constraints for the government to provide adequate resources to the security sector. ¶10. (C) Subsequent questions from UNSC members focused on money disbursed for the past two years for salaries paid to fictitious soldiers (Ruberwa: there will be investigations), whether former belligerents are willing to come together against FDLR and for common purpose (Ruberwa: two years ago, that was not the case, but the situation has evolved and this is not a problem now),integration delays, and inadequate support to the troops. Regarding his earlier assertion that too few FARDC soldiers are opting for integration, Ruberwa indicated that an increased information ("sensibilisation") campaign would address the problem. Ruberwa also reiterated that he saw no resistance by any of the ex-belligerent faction leaders to sending their troops for integration, asserting that he did not think that &card is now playable8 by these leaders, all now in the Transition government. ¶11. (C) Ruberwa also reported that police training is less problematic than the military, without many of the same "ex-belligerent" faction issues. He noted that, per a discussion and decision last week by the Mixed Commission, police training would be decentralized, which would further simplify the police training program. ¶12. (C) The Tanzanian PermRep noted the severe limitations of current FARDC capability, and questioned whether the FARDC would be truly ready to take on the FDLR in less than a year or more. In addition, there are many doubts about a proposed African Union force in the DRC. Given these problems, is there a DRC timeline? Ruberwa answered by asserting that the Security Council had the means to "impose peace" relatively quickly on the eastern DRC should it choose to do so through MONUC. He added that the UN sanctions imposed recently on various negative force leaders were weak - an important symbol, but only that. Ruberwa observed that the AU force seemed a "dead letter," and again asserted the UNSC held the answer. He did acknowledge that the FARDC has "disarmament plans" with various operations already planned for North and South Kivu, as well as Ituri District. ¶13. (C) Closing the session, Defense Minister Onosumba repeated information previously supplied to the Mixed Commission regarding adjustments already being implemented to begin to pay soldiers by grade instead of flat amounts. The French Ambassador noted that the FDLR problem would seem to demand political as well as military means to achieve a solution. Other Sessions -------------- ¶14. (SBU) The UNSC also held meetings during the day with the DRC,s four Vice Presidents, with National Assembly President Kamitatu and Senate President Msgr. Marini, with the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) and the High Media Authority, and with civil society and religious leaders. No member of the Kinshasa U.S. Mission participated in those meetings. ¶15. (U) French PermRep de la Sabliere held a press conference on Monday following the Kabila meeting prior to the UNSC,s departure for Mbuji Mayi and Kamina, being reported septel. Comment -------------- ¶16. (C) Kabila,s odd behavior, delaying his scheduled meeting with Council members, has no obvious explanation. Most CIAT member speculation centered on possible bad advice from some of the less wise members of Kabila,s entourage and perhaps lingering resentment over too many international chiefs trying to tell him how to run the country. Whatever the cause, de la Sabliere was visibly annoyed, and Kabila did himself no favors with the Council as members got up for the 6:00 a.m. meeting. We do not find credible Ruberwa,s new premise that too many combatants are opting for DDR, posing problems for the integration program. Nonetheless, a stepped-up information campaign about the merits of the integration process has been recommended by the Mixed Commission and would be welcome, if it is in fact being implemented. While the Congolese have heard most of the messages from the Council before in meetings with the CIAT, Mixed Commission or other fora, given the Council,s prestige and importance for the DRC, its reinforcement of key points is welcome. While unlikely to provide a decisive answer to the many problems of the Transition, the visit was helpful in the DRC, as well as hopefully to members of the Council. End comment. MEECE