DRC/FRANCE: "NO NEW TROOPS -- FOR NOW"

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002012 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2018 TAGS: PREF PINS PINR MARR CG FR SUBJECT: DRC/FRANCE: "NO NEW TROOPS -- FOR NOW" Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Kathleen Allegrone, 1.4 (b/ d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA DRC deskoff Laurent Chevallier on November 3 said that France did not at present support sending new forces to DRC. Instead, MONUC should be reorganized and redeployed to address security concerns in North Kivu. The French are working to promote EU-AU consultations that would lead to a resumption of peace talks based on the existing Nairobi and Goma agreements. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) MFA DRC deskoff Laurent Chevallier on November 3 reviewed the situation in the DRC, following the consultations French FM Kouchner and UK Foreign Secretary Miliband held in DRC, Rwanda, and Tanzania the preceding few days. Chevallier said that the Kouchner/Miliband trip went well, although that "of course doesn't mean they obtained permanent solutions to the region's problems." Chevallier said that many serious problems remained but that at least a cease-fire was in place. ¶3. (C) Chevallier said that much would depend on whether the cease-fire would hold. Should it hold, the resulting relatively calm period could enable some progress. Notably, Chevallier said that France did not support the deployment of additional forces to DRC, either as a supplement to MONUC or as a separate force to work alongside MONUC. He said that MONUC, with 17,000 forces deployed, was one of the UN's most robust PKOs and that it could and should do more to provide security in North Kivu and other affected areas. He noted that only about 6.000 troops were in North Kivu and that more could be deployed there. "We don't want to send more troops for the sake of sending more troops, and we don't believe that 500 additional troops would make much of a difference if MONUC is already there with 17,000," he observed. Chevallier added, however, that if the situation were to change radically for the worse, deploying additional forces could be an option. But not at present. ¶4. (C) Chevallier said that France was working to develop an EU-AU dialogue among experts that would lead to a resumption of peace talks involving the relevant parties, to take place perhaps in Nairobi. Chevallier noted that Kouchner had said that "we don't need to invent another agreement," which reflected the GOF's belief that the Nairobi/Goma peace processes had already produced excellent peace agreements. "Everything is perfect on paper; the problem has always been to get the parties to implement what they've already agreed to," Chevallier observed. He said that having the peace talks resume was a French priority, and that the case-fire provided an opportunity for a resumption. Chevallier said that Kouchner had promoted this idea during his visit. ¶5. (C) Chevallier said that the DRC was compliant -- "they need help and weren't going to quibble or argue with us." Rwanda asserted that it was not supporting Nkunda, that all of this was not really Rwanda's problem, but that Rwanda would be involved as a "very interested neighbor." Chevallier said that Rwanda's position was completely disingenuous but "about what we would expect, given the circumstances." Chevallier added that France and the UK were quite united in their appreciation of the situation. ¶6. (C) To recap, Chevallier said that France valued and wanted to take advantage of the cease-fire, which would allow MONUC to re-orient itself to providing security in key areas (which would obviate the need for additional troops) and which would the EU to work with the AU to restart the peace dialogue, building on and hopefully implementing the various peace agreements the parties had already signed. STAPLETON