RWANDAN OFFICIALS ON NAIROBI AGREEMENT AND THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000038 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/03/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA RW SUBJECT: RWANDAN OFFICIALS ON NAIROBI AGREEMENT AND THE KIVUS Classified By: Ambassador Michael R. Arietti, reason 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Ambassador spoke with Foreign Minister Charles Murigande on January 14 and Great Lakes Special Envoy Ambassador Richard Sezibera on January 15 regarding the Kivus Conference, events in eastern Congo, and the Nairobi Agreement. The Government of Rwanda (GOR) will consider attending the Kivus Conference, while claiming its absence from the discussions has been "helpful." The Rwandans will not comment on the FDLR plan, tabled by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in accordance with the Nairobi Agreement. The GOR is finalizing its list of "genocidaires," which is intended as a "data base" for the Congolese, and currently numbers approximately 6900 persons. The Rwandans proposed that the Tripartite-Plus members states use the Commission meetings in Bujumbura in February to concentrate on the "audit" of past agreements requested by the USG, rather than attempt to do so in advance of the Commission meetings. The Rwandans also agreed on the importance of establishing the various commissions previously agreed to, including the Tripartite Refugee Commission. End summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Murigande on January 14 in Kigali. Murigande agreed on the importance of setting up the Tripartite Refugee Commission, and said the GOR had formally written to the DRC proposing the two governments do so. He said the GOR would not comment on the FDLR plan tabled by the DRC, as the DRC had told the GOR at the Heads of State summit in Addis Ababa that GOR comments "were not wanted." He said the GOR was working on the list of genocidaires suspected to be in the DRC, as mandated by the Nairobi Agreement, but understood the list would not be used until FDLR troops were cantoned. Ambassador suggested the GOR develop a short list of FDLR members wanted on genocide charges for that purpose. Murigande agreed that some positive speeches on ethnic relations and reconciliation had been given at the Kivus Conference, but said he had received "more negative" assessments from some attendees. He noted the GOR had now received an invitation to the Kivus Conference, and the government would decide whether or not to attend. ¶3. (C) Ambassador also met January 15 with Ambassador Sezibera, who echoed many of the Foreign Minister's comments. The GOR would not comment on the FDLR plan, he said, as the DRC had not shared all sections of the plan, particularly the military "annex." He did not think GOR comments were expected by the DRC. The GOR was nearly finished with the genocidaires list, nearly 7000 names, culled from the extensive "information-gathering phase" of the gacaca court system. The GOR saw this list as a "data base" for the DRC government, he said, to use when screening FDLR or other potential returnees to Rwanda. Ambassador again encouraged a separate, shorter, more focused list of FDLR members suspected of participation in the 1994 genocide. Sezibera explained that earlier Most Wanted lists of FDLR leadership were intended as lists of persons who belonged to a genocidal organization, as opposed to those who had individually participated in genocide. ¶4. (C) Sezibera said that the GOR had purposely refrained from commenting on the Kivus Conference, and was unsure if it should attend the Conference closing session, despite having recently received an invitation. While "we support the conference," he said, "we think our absence has been useful," as discussions ensued without the GOR's potentially polarizing presence. Ambassador noted the USG's expanding efforts in the Kivus, with a Kinshasa embassy officer stationed in Goma, a Military Information Support Team (MIST) coming soon to the Kivus, and plans underway to train a special DRC battalion. Sezibera welcomed the expanding efforts, and said the MIST message must be a simple one -- the FDLR must leave the Congo. He also said that the DRC should use its most effective fighting force, those troops serving under General Nkunda, and should allow the GOR to assist in "mobilizing" this "counter force" to take on the FDLR (with no Rwandan troops involved, he added). ¶5. (C) Sezibera next suggested that the "audit" of previous Tripartite-Plus Commission agreements, requested by the USG as the facilitator, be conducted at the Commission sessions at the end of February in Bujumbura, rather than before that meeting. He finished by forcefully arguing for a special Security Council resolution aimed at the FDLR (as provided for in the Nairobi Agreement),as part of a concerted international effort to pressure the FDLR and provoke its disbanding. Sezibera added that the lack of DRC military capacity makes threats to use force against the FDLR ring hollow. ¶6. (C) Comment. The Rwandans appear willing to attend the Kivus Conference, but are not sure they would be welcome, given the high feelings among some of the delegations to the Conference. They are readying their list of genocidaires, as required by the Nairobi Agreement, a lengthy list, whose utility is not entirely clear to this mission. As Ambassador suggested to the Rwandans, a tighter focus on FDLR members and members of other negative forces who participated in the genocide might be more useful. There is a clear need for better GOR/GDRC cooperation in planning the specific tactics for removing the FDLR from the DRC. We have stressed to the GOR that it needs to welcome and take advantage of the Kivus Conference, which at a minimum seems to have made the removal of the FDLR a public priority of the DRC government and the people of the Kivus. End comment. ARIETTI