Patriot Day Activities

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001111 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM KPAO CG UNESCO SUBJECT: Patriot Day Activities Sensitive but Unclassified. Not for Internet Distribution ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Embassy Kinshasa carried out several activities on Patriot Day in remembrance of the 9/11 events. Charge d'Affaires and Public Affairs Officer delivered remarks at Kinshasa educational institutions. Press reported on CDA's statement. Statements will be posted on Embassy's open net website. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Charge d'Affaires Samuel Brock addressed an audience of teachers, students and press on September 11 at Institut Salongo de Lemba, a Protestant high school. CDA underscored the resilience of the United States in the face of adversity. He discussed the threat posed by terrorism, with emphasis on the need to respond to the fast-changing pattern of terror in an adaptive manner, and called on the DRC to end its history of violence and to work with its partners to restore stability to the region. He also took questions from attendees. Kinshasa dailies "La Reference Plus" and "La Prosperite" reported on the event. ¶3. (U) PAO Katya Thomas delivered a similar speech at Simon Kimbangu University. The audience included undergraduate and graduate students. This event also featured spirited Q&A sessions. ¶4. (U) CDA's speech in English and French has been posted to the Embassy website. ¶5. (U) In compliance with President Bush's 2007 Patriot Day Proclamation, a moment of silence was observed at all Embassy compounds at 1:46 pm local time (8:46 EDT) and flags were lowered to half-mast. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: During the Q&A sessions, audience members displayed much skepticism regarding the USG war on terror, as well as U.S. support for Israel. People in attendance also urged the USG to play an active role in the arrest of Laurent Nkundabatware, a renegade Congolese general accused of violence in the eastern Congo. Views expressed mirror general public sentiment. End comment. BROCK