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

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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