NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT KAMERHE JUGGLES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000900 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2010 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM CG RW SUBJECT: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT KAMERHE JUGGLES LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AND PEACE INITIATIVE REF: A. KINSHASA 882 ¶B. KINSHASA 887 Classified By: PolCouns DBrown, reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (C) Summary. National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe will confront a crowded legislative agenda this fall while also attempting to help defuse an increasingly tense situation in his home region in eastern Congo. He sees decentralization as the key issue ahead for the Assembly. His proposal for a political and diplomatic strategy in the east has now been agreed to by senior Congolese leaders. He has received wide praise from the diplomatic community for his leadership of the Assembly, but is stretched thin by duties that transcend his official responsibilities. End summary. ¶2. (C) National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe and the Ambassador reviewed key legislative issues and the security situation in the east in a farewell meeting July 25. Discussion was focused and concise; Kamerhe had carved out time on his schedule to ensure he could meet the Ambassador prior to catching a flight. Kamerhe aides Manya Moupondo and Zirimani Banywesize sat in with PolCouns. ¶3. (C) The Ambassador expressed appreciation for a meeting Kamerhe had held a few days earlier with members of the Kinshasa diplomatic corps. He also cited Kamerhe for his leadership of the Assembly the year. The Ambassador noted that much remained to be done during the Assembly's fall session, highlighting legislation on successor organizations to the Transitional electoral commission and communications council and a law governing the independence of judges. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador called a proposed law on decentralization the most important and sensitive issue the Assembly will be considering during its coming session. He noted that division of revenues and potential sub-division of existing provinces are only two of the issues deputies will have to confront. Kamerhe cited development of new, sub-provincial institutions as a further challenge. He asserted that only two of the potential new provinces have sufficient financial resources currently available to them. ¶5. (C) Kamerhe, a native of South Kivu, told the Ambassador that a high-level meeting July 23 of President Kabila, Prime Minister Gizenga, the Senate President, the head of the Supreme Court and he had agreed to a political and diplomatic strategy proposed by Kamerhe to address insecurity in the east (ref A). He said that recent fighting in southern South Kivu near Minembwe had broken out again when dissident Capt. Venant Bisogo attacked a FARDC post in an effort to prevent further desertions from his dwindling ranks (ref B). ¶6. (C) Kamerhe said the high-level "inter-institutional" meeting agreed to a locally-organized inter-community dialogue, and said Kabila could visit the region in September or October. He said that the leaders had made restoration of diplomatic ties with Rwanda a priority. He said the topic would be on the agenda during the proposed visit of Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Muriganda in August. ¶7. (C) The Ambasador noted progress being made by the Tripartite-Plus Commission, citing a meeting of legal experts that week in the North Kivu capital of Goma, and of chiefs of defense scheduled for Kigali the following month. Both agreed on the benefits of increased contact among the Tripatite-Plus governments. Kamerhe closed the meeting by noting that he had been in contact with provincial leaders, including Bukavu's outspoken Cardinal Francois-Xavier Maroy, and had been reassured of their support for an inter-community conference. ¶8. (C) Comment. The many accolades Kamerhe has received from the diplomatic community for his leadership of the Assembly masks the fact that he is stretched thin. Not only has he led some half-dozen missions abroad during the year, but he has been Kabila's point man for negotiations with the opposition, including Bemba's departure, remains active in South Kivu politics and continues to play a leading role in internal discussions on the future of the PPRD. Moreover, the Assembly itself has made slow progress at best on finalizing key legislation, including the 2007 budget. Much of this can be traced of course to growing pains of new democratic institutions. What is remarkable is how Congolese criticism of Kamerhe tends to focus not on any failures of KINSHASA 00000900 002 OF 002 the institution he leads, but on his perceived ambitions for higher office. End comment. MEECE