DRC SATISFIED WITH ICJ RULING, STILL CONSIDERING

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000038 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/09/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO KJUS CG UG SUBJECT: DRC SATISFIED WITH ICJ RULING, STILL CONSIDERING REPARATIONS AMOUNT Classified By: PolOff CBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d. ¶1. (C) While delivering demarche January 6 to new Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chief of Staff Jacques Djoli (septel),PolOff and Djoli discussed the December 19 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling against Uganda. The Court ruled that Uganda "violated the principles of non-use of force in international relations and of non-intervention" and "that it violated its obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law." Djoli said the GDRC was satisfied with the Court's decision and considered it a sign that justice was fairly and finally being carried out against those who had invaded and violated the DRC's territory during the 1998-2003 war. ¶2. (C) Djoli said the Ministry of Justice was preparing the GDRC's official response to the ICJ ruling and is examining the Court's decision to determine how much to demand in reparations. Immediately following the Court's decision, the GDRC's spokesman said Kinshasa would seek 6-10 billion USD from Uganda. Djoli admitted, however, that the Congolese have no clear strategy regarding the compensation issue, due to the lack of communication between various ministries (Justice, Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, Interior) that could claim jurisdiction on the matter. Djoli also said there had been no formal discussions between GDRC and GOU officials, except for one informal meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers at a conference in Ethiopia in late December. Djoli said the issue would likely be discussed more formally during the next Tripartite meeting. ¶3. (C) Djoli said the 6-10 billion USD figure for reparations was appropriate in relation to Uganda's violations. Djoli pointed out, though, that this figure is two to three times the size of the GOU's annual budget (and about five times the GDRC's),and it would therefore be unlikely for the GDRC to collect anywhere near that amount. ¶4. (C) Comment: Despite the ICJ's clear ruling in favor of the DRC, few expect Uganda ever to pay billions of dollars in reparations. The court victory is therefore likely to be more of a moral one. Congolese media have widely applauded the ruling, and have suggested that Rwanda (which, unlike Uganda, refused to recognize the ICJ's jurisdiction) is equally culpable for its intervention in the war. End comment. MEECE NNNN