CIAT SLAMS GOVERNMENT INERTIA AND PROCRASTINATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001954

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2015
TAGS: PGOV KPKO PREL CG CIAT
SUBJECT: CIAT SLAMS GOVERNMENT INERTIA AND PROCRASTINATION

Classified By: CDA TDougherty for reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (C) Summary: The International Committee to Accompany the
Transition (CIAT) on November 25 issued an unusually harsh
communique, taking the government to task for its continued
inaction on issues of critical importance in bringing the
DRC's transition to a successful conclusion. Frustrated at
the government's seeming indifference to repeated calls by
CIAT, the UN Security Council, and others to take immediate
action on security sector reform, payment of military
salaries, and adopting essential legislation, CIAT chiefs of
mission decided the time had come for a sharp and clear
wake-up call to be delivered to transition leaders. End
summary.


2. (C) At CIAT's weekly meeting on November 24, heads of
mission were briefed by MONUC on follow-up issues resulting
from the Security Council's visit to the DRC earlier in the
month. Little if any progress has been made on the Security
Council's recommendations. Despite repeated calls since
August for the government to act on the EUSEC Report, no
response has been received. Salaries are not being regularly
paid to troops, a situation which clearly erodes the army's
effectiveness, undermines security throughout the country,
and bodes ill for elections-related security the army is
charged to ensure. Moreover, the government continues to
fall further behind in creating new integrated brigades,
supporting those brigades already formed, and demobilizing
other troops. The E.U. Ambassador reported that the
situation with training and paying the police is equally
unsatisfactory.


3. (C) Similarly, concern was expressed about delays in
adopting essential legislation such as the Electoral Law,
Amnesty Law, and the Constitutional Referendum. An amendment
to the referendum law needed to be passed, allowing the
referendum to be held later than November 27 as originally
scheduled. (Note: On the evening of November 25, Parliament
agreed to amend the law, and to allow the Independent
Electoral Commission to set another date. The Commission had
earlier called for the referendum to take place on December

18. End note.) The Electoral Law has not yet been debated
despite repeated entreaties to parliament that the substance
of the law must be agreed upon well in advance of the
constitutional referendum so that it can be formally adopted
immediately thereafter.


4. (C) Despite recent assurances that the "Espace
Presidentiel" would meet approximately every two weeks with
CIAT, no meeting has been held since October 21. Recent
formal requests by CIAT for a meeting have not been answered.
Likewise, a meeting of the Joint Commission for Security
Sector Reform chaired by Vice President Ruberwa (which should
take place monthly) has been postponed several times. With
CIAT chiefs of mission clear that the government is evincing
"a pattern of not accepting responsibility" and that there
has been "no political will to move forward since the
Security Council visit," it was decided that a clear message
needed to be sent to transition leaders to get things back on
track. The November 25 communique (see paragraph 6 for full
text in informal English translation) was accepted by all
CIAT members and released to the press. CIAT intentionally
timed the communique to be released shortly before the visits
to Kinshasa this week of South African Foreign Minister Zuma,
Belgian Minister of Defense Flahaut, Belgian Minister of
Cooperation de Decker, and E.U. Great Lakes Envoy Aiello. It
is expected that the visitors will reenforce CIAT's message
during their meetings with Congolese officials this week.

--------------
Comment
--------------

5. (C) The government has not responded to the communique,
but officials close to Kabila and Ruberwa expressed
consternation and anger to us, claiming the communique could
undermine the transition. We, of course, responded that
inaction on the part of the transition's leaders is the
greatest threat to the transition. President Kabila, who had
conveyed his annoyance about a much softer communique last
month (which at least had the effect of getting him to agree
to meet),has the choice of either digging in his heels and
ignoring the call for action, or of taking long overdue
action on the EUSEC Report and other matters that require
leadership from the top. End comment.

--------------
Text of Communique
--------------

6. (U) An unofficial translation from French of CIAT's
November 25 communique follows:
BEGIN TEXT: CIAT salutes the magnificent efforts and
commitment of the Congolese people in registering in massive
numbers to participate in future elections. Thus far, more
than 23 million voters have registered. The time has now
come for the Congolese leadership to give proof of similar
efforts and commitment on its part to building a better
future for the country.

During its recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo,
the United Nations Security Council called for rapid progress
on needed procedures to hold the referendum on the
constitution, to pass the amnesty law, and for parliament to
debate both at the commission and plenary level the draft
election law. The electoral law must be dealt with
procedurally on an urgent basis, ensuring that the substance
of the law is approved before the referendum of December 18,
2005 so that Parliament can formally adopt the law
immediately after the referendum. Without rapid progress in
these areas, the election timetable as set out in the Global
and Inclusive Accord (note: i.e., the Sun City Accord) will
be unattainable. CIAT urges the transitional government and
parliament, as well as the Independent Electoral Commission,
to move with more speed on these procedures for the
referendum on the constitution, and to hold to the December
18 date already set by the Independent Electoral Commission.
CIAT shares the desire of the people to emerge from the
transition and to make a new start in the history of the
country with a duly elected, legitimate government.

CIAT deplores the failure of the Congolese authorities to
regularly pay and feed the national army, and to ensure
adequate health conditions for it, despite promises made to
the Security Council and despite the fact that the State has
sufficient funds at its disposal. This failure is
handicapping the army from operating effectively against
foreign armed groups such as the FDLR which plague the people
of the Kivus. The international community has been waiting
for months for a response from the government to the EUSEC
Report, which offers support for an improved system to pay
the army. Government acceptance of this report will trigger
associated financing to help equip newly integrated brigades.
CIAT repeats its call for a meeting with no further delay of
the Joint Commission for Security Sector Reform, as well as a
meeting between CIAT and the Espace Presidentiel, so that it
can receive a clear response on the part of the government
concerning the EUSEC Report. Both such meetings have
recently been delayed. CIAT would like to be reassured that
the government is committed to paying its army, which is the
essence of national sovereignty, and that it will not
tolerate the pursuit of hidden agendas and corrupt practices
that constitute a betrayal of the people's aspirations.

Kinshasa, November 25, 2005

END TEXT.
DOUGHERTY