Etumba fleshes out government proposal for implementing

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000169

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO CG
SUBJECT: Etumba fleshes out government proposal for implementing
Goma peace process

Ref: Kinshasa 162


1. (SBU) Summary: The Congolese government intends to issue a
follow-up decree to clarify problematic elements of the "Amani"
decree intended to implement the Goma peace process. The
forthcoming decree would vest decision-making power in the
provincial military and humanitarian sub-commissions rather than the
Kinshasa-based Technical Commissions, and would set aside the
vice-presidencies of each for the international signatories to the
Acte of Engagement. The government also offered CNDP a place on the
Steering Committee and positions on the secretariats assigned to
support the various commissions and sub-commissions. Lack of
consultations between CNDP's military and political wings raised
questions about its position on current discussions. End summary.


2. (SBU) International facilitators met with Naval Chief of Staff
Vice-Admiral Didier Etumba at their request February 14 at MONUC's
Goma headquarters to better understand the mechanisms being proposed
by the government to implement the Kivus Conference Acte
d'Engagement. Etumba was accompanied by 8th Military Region Deputy
Commander Colonel Delphin Kahimbi, with SRSG Chief of Staff John
Almstrom of MONUC, Ben Shepard of the UK, Colonel Pechoux of EUSEC
and Nick Jenks and Willet Weeks of the U.S. participating as
facilitators.


3. (SBU) Etumba confirmed that the Technical Commission, officially
known as the Mixed Technical Commission for Peace and Security, will
be based in Kinshasa. However, it will include only one person
appointed by the GDRC, so will not really, on its own, be a
committee as such. It will have a vice president drawn from the
international signatories to the Acte. Consultants can be attached
to it.


4. (SBU) The Commission's sub-commissions, namely the Mixed Military
Sub-commission and the Mixed Humanitarian Sub-commission, are where
the decision-making will reside. The former will be based in Goma
and the latter in Bukavu. These -- not the Technical Commission --
are the bodies that will be "empowered with decision-making
authority" in a decree to be issued soon.


5. (SBU) Etumba said that international facilitators would have the
vice presidencies of not only the Technical Commission, but of all
its subsidiaries as well. This will mean one post in Kinshasa, two
in Goma and two in Bukavu.


6. (SBU) Almstrom later reported to other international facilitators
that Etumba had offered CNDP the position of "permanently invited
guest" at the Steering Committee in Kinshasa during a meeting that
morning involving Almstrom, Etumba, Kahimbi and a CNDP military
delegation. Etumba had also offered CNDP positions on the
secretariats that will be attached to the Technical Commissions and

SIPDIS
its sub-commissions. (Note: Almstrom had not informed the rest of
the international facilitators of this meeting in advance, nor
invited them to participate. End note.)


7. (SBU) As the meeting with Etumba was finishing, the CNDP
delegation, consisting of Major Seraphin Mirindi, another major and
a captain, inexplicably joined it, much to participants' confusion.
They allowed that they had not had a chance to talk to their
political counterparts who had been at the meeting the day before
(reftel),but nonetheless launched into additional concerns which
the political delegation had not raised.


8. (SBU) The first was about coordination at the provincial level,
and the second about size or representation on the various
commissions and sub-commissions. They proposed that the government
have 50 per cent and they have 50 per cent and that other armed
groups such as Mai-Mai and PARECO be included in the government's 50
per cent. Both MONUC and government told CNDP to stop playing games
and cooperate with what had been agreed to by all sides, and move
the process forward.


9. (SBU) Comment: International facilitators had a much clearer
idea of the government's vision following Etumba's presentation.
However, it was very clear that the government does not want nor
intend to revise or cancel the first decree. It intends to use the
"empowering" language in the following decree to be able to say to
the CNDP: "we heard your concerns, and have officialized them, the
way you want, in this one," while not going down the embarrassing
road of canceling or amending the first. End comment.

GARVELINK