CONGO/B: IMET-FUNDED CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000543

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C and AF/RSA

PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

FROM BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MASS PREL CF
SUBJECT: CONGO/B: IMET-FUNDED CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS
SEMINAR (FEBRUARY 15-18, 2005)


1. SUMMARY: A two-person Center for Civil-Military
Relations (CCMR) Mobile Education Team conducted an
IMET-funded civil-military relations seminar February
15-18 in Brazzaville. The 51 Congolese participants
included 22 military and 29 civilians. The program was
opened by the Minister of Defense, and the opening and
closing ceremonies were covered by Congolese
television. The program achieved the intended
Brazzaville Embassy MPP goal of encouraging open
discussion and understanding between the military and
civilian sectors of Congo. Follow-up sessions have
been held by seminar participants to implement an
action plan. END SUMMARY.


2. CCMR Mobile Education Team members retired Colonel
Michael Mensch and Dr. Jessica Piombo led an IMET-
funded civil-military relations seminar February 15-18
under the auspices of Embassy Brazzaville. It was the
first CCMR civil-military seminar held in the Republic
of Congo. The seminar took place at the conference
facility of the World Health Organization's regional
center. The team was assisted by Embassy Brazzaville
staff members and USDAO staff members from Kinshasa.
Planning for the program was coordinated among CCMR,
USDAO Kinshasa and Embassy Brazzaville. Opening and
closing remarks were given by the DCM and the director
of a Congolese human rights NGO. The seminar was
opened officially by the Congolese Minister of Defense
(the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces also attended),
and closed by the Chief of Staff of the Congolese
Ministry of Defense. The program also received support
from the United Nations Development Program in Congo,
which gave presentations during the seminar on HIV/AIDS
and on the Congolese Demobilization and Reintegration
(DR) program that currently is now underway.


3. Mr. Mensch remarked that the Brazzaville seminar was
"among the very best we have done in the past six
years." He added that "the themes and topics we
discussed were carefully selected" and "are the
important issues of the day in the Congo." The
participants, which included security forces, civil
society, executive and legislative branches of the
government, and the media, "represented their
constituencies with vigor and candor." It was
untypical, but very effective, he said, for media
representatives to participate, and their presence
added the very real present-day dimension of taking
into account the media and the role of publicity in
contemporary events.


4. The participants debated with the facilitators and
with each other during the seminar, but they seemed
united and committed to improving civil-military
relations in the Congo, recognizing it as essential for
the country's development and improvement. The
participants provided constructive, positive feedback
to the facilitators, the USDAO participants and the
Embassy.


5. The seminar explored the relationship between the
armed forces and civilians in the context of recent
Congolese history. Congo continues to emerge from the
1997-2001 civil war, and civil-military bridge-building
presents a broad challenge. Civilian and military
participants accepted the challenge of creating
professional, politically neutral and accountable armed
services. They also recognized that internal security
needs must be met for reconstruction to be successful.
With the blueprint provided by the Action Plan
developed by participants during the seminar, progress
in developing better civil-military relations is
achievable.


6. COMMENT: The seminar addressed the major MPP goal of
Democratization and Human Rights by providing a forum
for understanding between military and civilian
sectors, as well as the media, which often find it hard
to appreciate or recognize each other's roles and
perspectives. The gratitude and satisfaction that the
participants expressed indicated that they gained from
the seminar something that they may not have had before
- the opportunity to hear and be heard across the
fences separating the civil and military sectors. The
facilitators suggested following up this seminar with a
second seminar, focusing on the relationship between
public security forces and the media and/or the
legislature, or a seminar to train Congolese civil-
military facilitators. The Embassy supports these
ideas as constructive, cost-effective means for the
United States to assist the Republic of Congo in its
development. END COMMENT.


7. Embassy Office Brazzaville - Sanders

MEECE