CONGRATULATORY LETTER FROM LEONARD NYANGOMA, PRESIDENT OF

UNCLAS BUJUMBURA 000571 DEPT FOR S/ES-CR AND S/ES-O FOR NATALIE CHAGNON DEPT FOR AF/C FOR MARLAINA CASEY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPDC PREL OVIP BY SUBJECT: CONGRATULATORY LETTER FROM LEONARD NYANGOMA, PRESIDENT OF THE BURUNDIAN POLITICAL PARTY CONSEIL NATIONAL POUR LA DEFENSE DE LA DEMOCRATIE (CNDD) REF: STATE 118192 ¶1. Embassy Bujumbura received a congratulatory letter for President-Elect Barak Obama dated November 5, 2008, from the Honorable Lonard Nyangoma, President of the political party Conseil National pour la Defense de la Democratie (CNDD). The original letter is being forwarded to the Department for transmission to the President-elect's transition team. Mr. Lonard provided both French and English versions of the letter. The English version follows below. ¶2. BEGIN TEXT: Rpublique du Burundi Conseil National pour la Dfense de la Dmocratie Tl: 257-79-456-094 E-mail: cndd@rogers.com Hon. Lonard NYANGOMA Prsident du CNDD B.P. 594 Bujumbura Burundi November 5, 2008 Senator Barack Obama President-Elect of the United States of America United States Senate Washington D.C. Dear Senator Obama, Congratulations on Your Election to the Presidency. On behalf of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy of the Republic of Burundi, and on my own behalf, I have the honour of congratulating you most heartily on your overwhelming election on November 4, 2008, to the office of President of the United States of America. From the beginning of your campaign, you have demonstrated, time and again, the outstanding qualities of idealism, competitivity and perseverance of a leader committed to uniting people of all walks of life, a leader with a deep understanding of the needs and aspirations of his fellow men. You have won the hearts and minds of not only your own people of the United States but also the people of the whole world. You have become an inspiration for us all at the start of a new Century. Throughout every corner of the world, in cities and villages, offices and farms, people young and old, in all walks of life, have been re-inspired by the American Dream. Our faith has been renewed that, with the re-invigoration of the Democratic Party under your leadership, we can believe again in a world more just, more peaceful and more fair. The whole world will be looking to you and the Government that you will head, to take the lead in uniting us, to address our common challenges to overcome terrorism, to counter global warming and environmental degradation, to overcome hunger and to enhance economic development and world trade. The people of Burundi in general and myself in particular, sincerely hope that we shall be able to count on your support and the support of the American Government in advancing peace and democracy in Burundi and the Great Lakes sub-region of Africa. We shall especially be looking for your help, as the people of Burundi prepare for the elections planned for 2010, in changing the attitude of intolerance and suppression of democracy of the regime currently in power here. We believe that peace and democracy in Burundi are essential to promoting and maintaining peace and democracy in the whole of Central Africa, to ending the cycle of violent struggle over our abundant natural resources. Those of our people, and those of the neighboring states, who have survived the wars and violence that have been endemic in the sub-region for so many years are look into you with hope for vigorous action to promote lasting peace and development. Convinced that we have finally found in you a great American leader with the will to listen and the brotherly concern to help, we take great pleasure in conveying to you our sincere congratulations on your election to the Presidency of the United States and offer our assurances of the highest consideration. Signed in Bujumbura November 5, 2008 On behalf of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy Honorable Lonard NYANGOMA END TEXT Moller