NEW CONGOLESE FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT, BUT STILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000396 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO KDEM CG RW SUBJECT: NEW CONGOLESE FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT, BUT STILL DEFINING HIS COURSE REF: A. KINSHASA 336 ¶B. KINSHASA 338 Classified By: PolCouns DBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (C) Summary. During the Ambassador's first official call March 20 (Note: two days prior to the outbreak of violence in Kinshasa. End note.),new Foreign Minister Mbusa appeared in an upbeat mood. He spoke positively of the March 16 Tripartite Plus talks in Kigali, calling them "the best ever." Mbusa hedged a bit in talking about renegade General Laurent Nkunda, reporting that the Rwandans had pointed out an apparent contradiction in the GDRC position of simultaneously maintaining an arrest warrant even while striking deals with Nkunda. Mbusa expressed confidence that a border dispute with Angola can be resolved amicably. As reported reftels, Mbusa also acknowledged demarches about proposed additions to the arms trafficking sanctions list, and USG concerns over Zimbabwe, but offered little substantive comment. With his political power base in North Kivu apparently strengthened, Mbusa appears ready to take on the bigger stage of the foreign ministry, but is still defining his course. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Minister of State for External Relations and International Cooperation Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi provided the Ambassador with a readout March 20 of the recent Tripartite-Plus meetings in Kigali during the first official call by the Ambassador since Mbusa took office. Mbusa appeared upbeat and positive (despite the recent unexpected death of his wife). The meeting took place two days before the outbreak of violence in Kinshasa between government forces and the militia of Senator and former Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba. PolCouns and two Mbusa counselors sat in. ¶3. (C) Mbusa, who headed the Congolese Tripartite-Plus delegation, expressed satisfaction with the results of the March 16 meeting in Kigali. He said he had participated in many past meetings and characterized this one as "the best ever." He asserted that he sensed from Rwanda for the first time a strong desire to turn the page and move forward. He said all parties, including the DRC, need to deal with the skeletons of the past "which are still there." He reported that Rwanda definitely wants to resume diplomatic relations with the DRC, and said President Paul Kagame told him he was targeting late June for doing so. ¶4. (C) Mbusa said that he had held some meetings with Rwandan officials on the margins of the Tripartite Plus meeting. He reported that Rwandans had pointed out a contradiction in GDRC policy, as Kinshasa maintained an outstanding arrest warrant for Nkunda even while negotiating agreement(s) with him. Mbusa said the Rwandans had a point, and asked about U.S. policy toward Nkunda. The Ambassador noted that the U.S. had already put Nkunda on its sanctions list, as Mbusa knew, but said it would be difficult to go further without knowing the GDRC's own position, especially if that position is changing. Mbusa hedged, implicitly acknowledging that there were divergent views within the government, and eventually said he had asked for a ten-day "moratorium" for publication of the Tripartite Plus "most wanted" list, suggesting this would give the government time to review its position or for the situation to evolve. (Comment: We think such resolution or shift in prevailing GDRC sentiment regarding Nkunda is unlikely in the short term. In any event, the GDRC has failed the release the list to-date. End comment.) Mbusa also mentioned that Ituri militia leader Peter Karim had been discussed by Tripartite Plus participants. ¶5. (C) Mbusa, who co-chaired the Congolese delegation which met with Angolan counterparts March 13 to review a border dispute, expressed optimism that it could be settled amicably. He said Angola had encountered a similar situation with Namibia, which was resolved by establishing a 60 km frontier zone in which populations could circulate freely. He characterized partisan agitation about the issue in Kinshasa as "post-electoral politics." ¶6. (C) As reported reftels, the Ambassador took the opportunity to deliver demarches regarding proposed additions to the arms trafficking list, and the current situation in Zimbabwe. Mbusa was generally supportive of the arms trafficking sanctions process but offered little substantive comment regarding the proposed additions, and promised no action regarding Zimbabwe, although he characterized the KINSHASA 00000396 002 OF 002 situation there as "catastrophic." ¶7. (C) Comment: The DRC's elections helped consolidate Mbusa's political base in North Kivu province, and he seems ready to assume a somewhat bigger role from his new Foreign Minister position. He appears, however, still to be feeling out his job and his political strategy, with both somewhat works in progress. While Mbusa has a well-established record of being able to shift political positions overnight, he continues to be open and receptive to the USG. His status within the new Kinshasa political line-up, and his relationships with the President, Prime Minister, ministerial colleagues and others in the political class will bear watching to get a better sense of his eventual influence and power. End comment. MEECE