DRC LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH POC

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000720 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/IHA NCOMELLA HHS FOR NIH APATTERSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO PTER EAGR CG SUBJECT: DRC LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH POC REF: STATE 56179 ¶1. (U) Econcouns delivered reftel talking points to Minister of Scientific Research Gerard Kamanda wa Kamanda on May 5. With Minister Kamanda was his counselor for science and technology, Professor Fortunat Lumu of the University of Kinshasa. Kamanda is the GDRC POC until mid-2006 elections for any questions concerning dual-use life sciences research. The minister promised to provide Post a list of the approximately two dozen research institutions in the DRC. Among these, there are research institutes concerned with food, agriculture, and health, but none are conducting life sciences research that could be construed as dual-use in nature. Kamanda agreed with the need to establish acceptable international guidelines for life science research and expressed interest in establishing cooperation with the U.S. in the areas of science and technology (S&T). He said that the DRC has never signed a bilateral S&T cooperation agreement with the U.S., but that the GDRC would be interested in doing so. ¶2. (U) Minister Kamanda is a candidate for the DRC presidency and represents the Front Commun des Nationalistes (FCN) party. Kamanda was born in 1940 and has a degree in law from the Lovanium University of Kinshasa, awarded in 1964. At the age of 25, he served as the Organization for African Unity deputy secretary general. During the Mobutu regime, Kamanda served as the Congolese Ambassador to the UN, Minister of Justice during the refugee crisis in eastern Congo, and was the last Minister of Foreign Affairs to serve under Mobutu. Minister Kamanda can be contacted through Professor Lumu at (243) 81-508-9896. DOUGHERTY