PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OSCAR KASHALA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000972

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/20/2031
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KPKO CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OSCAR KASHALA

REF: KINSHASA 927

Classified By: DCM TDougherty, reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (C) Summary. Presidential candidate (and AmCit
oncologist) Oscar Kashala believes he is well positioned for
July 30 elections, having forged an alliance with minor
political parties that could lead to direct cooperation with
Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba and/or UDPS leader Etienne
Tshisekedi. Kashala claims he has rebuffed several overtures

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from President Kabila's inner circle, and that "dangerous
pressure" is being put on him and his party by the
Presidency. He supports "negotiations" as a pre-condition
for elections, and said he will soon be launching an
international fundraising appeal and expects particularly
strong support from individuals and institutions in the U.S.
End summary.


2. (C) Kashala telephoned the embassy June 15 to request an
appointment with the Ambassador, saying he wanted to discuss
his "recent meeting with the UN Security Council," to convey
general security concerns, and to provide a status report of
his presidential campaign. DCM and poloff met with Kashala
for thirty minutes the following day. Kashala spoke only
about his campaign and security-related issues, making no
mention of the Security Council visit. (Note: Kashala did
not meet individually with the UNSC delegation in Kinshasa
June 10-12, though he did attend a large group meeting on
June 12 with several other candidates, diplomats, and the
press. End note.) Kashala made no direct reference to last
month's arrest of three AmCits working for his campaign, the
primary subject of his May 25 and only other meeting with
embassy staff (reftel).

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Claims of Support....
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3. (C) Kashala claimed he is now in an alliance of 34
political parties, and that he has been in direct contact
with Vice Presidents (and fellow presidential candidates)
Bemba and Azarias Ruberwa. Though not part of the new
Bemba-led RENACO coalition announced on June 16 (septel),he
said Bemba had called to ask that Kashala and his Union for
the Reconstruction of the Congo (UREC) party join forces with
Bemba's MLC -- an option at which he is "looking carefully."
The UREC alliance, according to Kashala, is fielding about
1000 parliamentary candidates.


4. (C) Kashala stressed that he has been in close contact
with Etienne Tshisekedi's UDPS. He noted in particular that
he had been working with the party's "political adviser and
lawyer" (presumably Joseph Mukendi) to discuss a political
alliance.


5. (C) Kashala said he has been contacted six times to meet
with President Kabila. He claimed that members of Kabila's
security detail, as well as unnamed members of parliament,
have been urging him to meet with the president. Kashala
said he would not meet with Kabila, "at least not until after
the first round" of elections.

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... but Concerns About Safety
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6. (C) Kashala claimed that the Presidency is feeling
threatened by his campaign, and in turn is threatening his
party. He specifically mentioned that National Security
Adviser Samba Kaputo and Ambassador-at-Large Augustine Mwanke
Katumba were responsible for the "dangerous pressure" being
put on his party. He mentioned that concerns about
harassment had led him to move his mother (who lives in
Kinshasa) and his brother (who he said is "with the police"
in Kisangani) to new residences. He noted that he is still
looking for a replacement firm to provide campaign security
(reftel).


7. (C) Claiming that those around Kabila were guilty of
"intimidation" and "gross violations of human rights,"
Kashala said the accusations of illegally attempting to buy
weapons made against his lawyer, Bonyi Mukadi, were "cooked
up" and "ridiculous." Kashala said that Mukadi (a
Congolese-Belgian dual national),who was brought in for
questioning on June 8 and held for a week without charges
being filed, was deported to Belgium the night of June 15.
(Note: Mukadi's detention and deportation was badly handled
by the GDRC, and we expect the Belgian government to lodge
some sort of protest. End note.) Mukadi's assistant, who

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was also summoned by the authorities, is still being detained
in Kinshasa, according to Kashala.

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"Negotiations" Before Elections
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8. (C) Kashala said that negotiations need to take place to
"clarify" key constitutional, social, and other issues. He
pointed out that he had met June 15 with Monsignor Laurent
Monsengwo, the Archbishop of Kisangani and president of the
National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO),and that he
supported the "Catholic Church's idea" for negotiations
before elections. Kashala averred that the absence of
negotiations, coupled with pressure and intimidation from
Kabila supporters, are causing many Congolese to question why
elections should be held at all. Kashala added, however,
that he personally supports elections.

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The American Candidate
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9. (C) Kashala (comment: rather disingenuously) said that
some European ambassadors had asked him if he planned to
change Congo's political and economic orientation to favor
the U.S. if he were elected. While noting that ties with
European countries would not be broken, he pointedly stressed
that closer ties with the U.S. would be a good thing for the
Congo.


10. (C) As those in power are "trying to squeeze" his funding
sources, Kashala said he would soon be launching a
fund-raising campaign. He intends to use his U.S. website as
well as direct solicitation to raise funds. Noting that he
had already had a fund-raiser at Milton Academy, Kashala said
he will be drawing on established networks at Harvard,
Massachusetts General Hospital, and professional associations
in the U.S. and abroad to "let them know" of the pressure he
was facing and to ask for contributions to his campaign.

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Comment
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11. (C) Kashala had clearly thought in advance of the
messages he wanted to convey, and he delivered them
carefully. First, he wants others to believe his political
star is on the rise. Though the government's handed Kashala
a gift of publicity that money couldn't buy as a result of
its clumsy handling of the case of the 32 so-called
mercenaries working with Kashala, Kashala is still very much
playing only in the minors. In a BERCI poll conducted the
second week of May, Kashala was the preferred candidate of
only 0.3% of the electorate. Whatever bump he received due
to recent publicity about the mercenary case is not
significant. Second, Kashala wanted us to know he is allied
with the UDPS and that he is seeking further alliances,
including with some strange bedfellows. Third, he wanted to
send a message that the holding of elections could be
imperiled if negotiations don't take place -- a message that
lacks credibility. It is clear that the large majority of
Congolese are tired of endless political class negotiations
and want to move to elections as soon as possible, a
commitment shared by the DRC's international partners. And
finally, Kashala wanted to make it known he has support in
the U.S. and intends to play his "American card" whenever he
can during the campaign. End comment.
MEECE