Minutes of the August 22 Meeting of the

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000704 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS KPKO CG SUBJECT: Minutes of the August 22 Meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group Task Force Following are minutes of the August 22, meeting: Begin Minutes SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING Joint Monitoring Group 36th Meeting of the TASK FORCE Goma, 22 August 2008 The thirty sixth meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group Task Force (JMG/TF) was held in Goma on 22 August 2008, as scheduled. The major highlights were: a) Presentation of reconciled repatriation figures by DDRRR, b) Recommendations for JMG/TF field visits and c) Discussions on the next field visit. In attendance were representatives of GoDRC, GoRwa as well as the AU, US, RSA, EU, and the UN. The Congolese delegation was led by Col. Augustine Mamba and the Rwandan delegation led by Mr. J. Damascene Rudasingwa. EU was represented by Mr. Bernard Sexe, USA by Mr. Haywood Rankin, the AU by Lt. Col. Capo Chi-chi Jean, UN by Archibald Moiwo, RSA by Ms Mpho MASETLHA and EUSEC by Lt Col Dierckx Rudi. The EU representative Mr. Bernard SEXE chaired the meeting. Noted was the absence of a representative of the ICGL. Eight points were on the agenda: ¶1. Introductory Remarks ¶2. Elaborate recommendations for JMG /TF field visits ¶3. Discussion of next field visit : GoDRC and GoR ¶4. Recommendation to the Special Envoys ¶5. Minutes of the last meeting ¶6. AOB ¶7. Agenda for the next meeting ¶8. Closing Remarks Summary of discussions During the 36th meeting of the JMG /TF, the MONUC DDRRR Team Leader for North Kivu provided reconciled figures of the repatriation of ex-combatants and their dependants to Rwanda in July. Due to different procedures adopted by both DDRRR and the GoR to determine a combatant, the figures released by both sides had always not been the same. In order to eliminate this problem the DDRRR and GoR (RDRC have established a joint mechanism to reconcile the figures. In addition, DDRRR now has a liaison officer based in Kigali for coordinating DDRRR activities in Rwanda. The officer will have monthly reconciliation activities with the Rwandan Demobilization and Reinsertion Commission (RDRC). The first reconciliation for 97 persons repatriated in July gave the following result: 25 out of 62 combatants and 22 out of 35 dependants cleared by MONUC DDRRR qualified in Rwanda. A total of 49 persons (36 ex-combatants and 13 dependants) cleared by MONUC DDRRR were not cleared in Rwanda. At the time of this report, the status of one person still remained undetermined by Rwanda. Both Rwanda and DDRRR have however found a reconciliation mechanism to resolve this problem. UNHCR in Rwanda takes care of persons not classified as ex-combatants. In addition, UNHCR and DDRRR have jointly developed a mechanism to help detect up to 98% of persons who recycle from DRC to Rwanda in order to benefit multiple times from demobilization /reinsertion packages. -- Recommendations for JMG /TF field visits Due to certain security concerns raised from the last JMG/TF field visit to Kasiki on 31 July, the TF agreed that a field visit plan must be developed before the TF undertakes any future field trip. The plan will determine the objective, place, security measures and who takes care of the security. The meeting had a unanimous decision that no non-MONUC or non-FARDC armed elements must be present at the visit site. FARDC, MONUC or both must provide security at any visit site. Further, the TF agreed that no information should be propagated about the visit and all communication with the media must be through or by the Chairperson. -- Next field visit On the question of places and times of visit, the TF agreed that field visits must be based on developments in the Nairobi Accord. The GoR delegation has already started consultations with the RDRC for possible sites for the next visit. The TF agreed that it was important to have a mission to Rwanda in order to get concrete information on preparations and facilities for demobilized people. -- Recommendations to the Special Envoys KINSHASA 00000704 002 OF 002 No recommendations were given by the JMG-TF. -- Minutes of the last meeting After discussions on minor points, the minutes of the 35th meeting was adopted. -- Agenda of next meeting The new points on the agenda include: - Proposal by GoR for next field visit - Evaluation of the JMG/TF activities in the implementation of the Nairobi Communique since the last Special Envoys meeting on 4 June 2008. -- AOB Due to lack of consensus on an agreeable day other than Friday for JMG/TF meetings, the TF agreed to maintain Friday. End minutes GARVELINK