UN/DRC SANCTIONS: DRC, BURUNDI, RWANDA, UGANDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000397 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017 TAGS: CG ETTC PGOV PREL UNSC KPKO SUBJECT: UN/DRC SANCTIONS: DRC, BURUNDI, RWANDA, UGANDA BRIEF COMMITTEE Classified By: MINISTER COUNSELOR WILLIAM BRENCICK, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The DRC Sanctions Committee met on May 11 with representatives from the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda to seek their further cooperation with the Group of Experts (the panel responsible for identifying violations of the arms embargo and other measures). DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda stressed their commitment to assisting the Group, and assured the Committee that they would attempt to provide all of the outstanding information the Group had requested. Burundi was more defensive, arguing that it was already fulfilling all of its commitments under resolution 1533 (2004). The UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations also attended, and pledged to continue cooperation between MONUC and the Group. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) The Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) convened informally on May 11 to meet with representatives from DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda regarding their respective cooperation with the Group of Experts (the Group). The Group had expressed its frustration to the Committee that these countries had not responded to repeated requests for information on implementation of the sanctions regime related to the DRC. The Committee was also joined by UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) representative Katherine Jones, who pledged MONUC's continued cooperation with the Group. D.R. CONGO -------------- ¶3. (C) DRC PermRep Atoki Ileka acknowledged that there had been gaps in communication between DRC authorities and the Group since the beginning of the transitional government's administration in 2005, but assured the Committee that under the newly elected permanent government, Congolese institutions would be more responsive to inquiries from the Group. USUN noted the DRC government's recent steps to address natural resource exploitation, and encouraged it to also look to greater enforcement of the targeted sanctions. Ileka responded that without international assistance to Congolese judicial institutions, those institutions would continue to be powerless to stop those under sanctions from acting with impunity. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Ka, Chairman of the Group of Experts, noted recent improved cooperation from the GDRC's focal point on sanctions, but indicated that the Group was still awaiting information on the civil aviation sector and on arms and ammunition used by Jean-Pierre Bemba's protective security force during the March 2007 violence in Kinshasa. BURUNDI -------------- ¶5. (C) Burundi Charge d'Affaires Nkurabagya argued in a brief statement that Burundi fulfilled all of its obligations under resolution 1533 to the best of its ability. (Comment: Nkurabagya was outwardly defensive from the outset. End comment.) Ambassador Ka replied that general cooperation with Burundi had been fine, but advised that if the Group did not receive the information it had requested on civil aviation and the cross-border movement of natural resources between DRC and Burundi, it would name Burundi as uncooperative in its upcoming report. Regarding the civil aviation requests, Nkurabagya noted that Burundi had only one airport, and implied that if arms or other sanctioned goods were entering the country by other means it was not Burundi's problem. The French noted Burundi's lack of capacity, but pointed out that this did not relieve the Group's responsibility for noting areas for improvement. RWANDA -------------- ¶6. (C) Rwandan PermRep Joseph Nsengimana stressed that the Government of Rwanda (GOR) was engaged on the Great Lakes at a very high level, and was committed to cooperating with the Group. Ambassador Ka noted good contact with the GOR, but added that it should be doing more to limit cross-border movements of people and sought further information on FDLR financing. Nsengimana noted that the GOR would shortly provide information on FDLR financing, and that it was USUN NEW Y 00000397 002 OF 002 difficult to control flows of people along the porous border. USUN thanked Nsengimana for the Government of Rwanda's increased cooperation over the past year, and expressed hope that it would continue. UGANDA -------------- ¶7. (C) Ugandan PermRep Francis Butagira pointed to the Group's December 2006 meeting with President Museveni as evidence of Uganda's commitment to cooperate with the Group, and stressed that the Government of Uganda (GOU) would continue to make efforts to be helpful. He noted that the government of the DRC must also work to extend its authority to eastern Congo, but that the GOU would concentrate on building capacity along its borders. USUN thanked Butagira for Uganda's increased cooperation and encouraged the GOU to provide the group with information on its implementation of the targeted sanctions. Ambassador Ka expressed appreciation for GOU's improved cooperation and requested that the GOU follow up on the Group's request for further information about Ugandan ammunition found in the DRC. DPKO -------------- ¶8. (C) Department of Peacekeeping Operations Africa Officer Kathryn Jones also attended the meeting to respond to complaints from the Group that MONUC had not been providing it with sufficient logistical support. Jones expressed surprise at the Group's comments, as they had not made similar complaints in their April interim report, but pledged to improve MONUC's cooperation with the Group wherever possible. ¶9. (C) Comment: Requesting meetings with Member States is one of the more powerful and useful tools the Committee has to improve enforcement of the sanctions. Such meetings demonstrate to Member States that the Committee is actively monitoring the sanctions and looking to them to implement their obligations. As agreed during the briefings, to facilitate the information sharing requested by the Group, the Committee will send letters to each country to reiterate the Group's requests for information. End Comment. KHALILZAD