BELGIUM: CLOSER COORDINATION WITH U.S. AND OTHER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001120

SIPDIS

EUR/WE FOR BRIAN MARCUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL BE RW CG EU
SUBJECT: BELGIUM: CLOSER COORDINATION WITH U.S. AND OTHER
DONORS SOUGHT BY MFA'S INCOMING AFRICA DIRECTOR

Classified By: R. Kiene for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: In an August 5 meeting with Charge and
Embassy political officers, the new Director of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs' Department for Sub-Saharan Africa sought
greater coordination and cooperation among donor countries
active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He
expressed continued interest in the idea of a dialogue
between Belgian and U.S. Africa experts discussed by former
Foreign Minister De Gucht and Secretary Clinton in February.
The new Foreign Minister, Yves Leterme, wants to normalize
relations that had been strained under the outspoken De
Gucht. The MFA plans to prepare a fresh strategy for the DRC
and present it for approval to contact group partners in late
September or October. Belgium supports greater attention to
the fundamentals of security sector reform and a firm
approach to cancellation of the DRC's debts. Nijskens would
be open to a mechanism like the Kimberly process for illegal
exploitation of minerals in the Eastern Congo, though he
recognizes that there are technical obstacles to tracing the
origin of some exports. Nijskens said that Belgium no longer
has any significant economic interests in the DRC, other than
an active air link to Kinshasa. What investments there are
are small and in non-strategic sectors. Nevertheless, he
said, the Congo is important to Belgium because of the
extensive family ties and the estimated 50,000 immigrants
from the Congo living in Belgium. Nijskens welcomes Chinese
investment in the DRC, but says the Chinese should not assume
their business methods work best. They are slowly learning,
he said, that payments under the table do not ensure
long-term benefits. Nijskens said that Belgium is sending a
ship to join the EU's anti-piracy operation off Somalia, and
advocates a more active presence by the West there. Belgium
is also interested in becoming more active in Sudan. The
Belgian Embassy in Zimbabwe is closed, but Belgian officials
recently met with Morgan Tsvangirai. The GOB would like to
assist in humanitarian efforts in Zimbabwe, but only through
channels that do not benefit the hardliners in Mugabe's camp.
Nijskens said the GOB is less critical of Burundi's
government than it is of the DRC's, but he recommends
attention to some politicians' efforts to destabilize the
peace in that country. He is carefully watching the human
rights situation in Rwanda, even as that country makes
progress socially and economically. End Summary.


2. (C) On August 5, Charge and Poloffs discussed Africa
issues with the MFA's incoming Belgian Director for
Sub-Saharan Africa, Reiner Nijskens, and its Central Africa
desk officer, Hughes Chantry. Nijskens said that he was
heartened by President Obama's speech in Accra, Ghana, and
welcomes all opportunities to work more closely with the U.S.
on all Africa issues. On a personal level, he looks forward
to renewing a long standing friendship with Howard Wolpe who
he met when they were Great Lakes Envoys for the U.S. and
Belgium. He acknowledged the U.S.-Belgian relationship has
come a long way since its low point during the invasion of
Iraq. He highlighted closer military to military cooperation
by noting that several Belgian suggestions were included in
Africom's memorandum of understanding with the DRC.

United to help DRC
--------------


3. (C) Nijskens said that the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) is Belgium's first priority in Africa. Despite the
change in Foreign Minister (FM) from Karel De Gucht to Yves
Leterme, there will be no change in the substance of
Belgium's approach, he said. He stated that Belgium is still
interested in the exchange of views among U.S. and Belgian
Africa experts that was discussed by FM De Gucht and
Secretary Clinton in February. In a meeting with the
Government of the DRC on August 4, FM Leterme was careful to
emphasize that relations between DRC and Belgium will be
normalized "within stated positions and principles."
Nijskens cautioned that it is important to have stronger
coordination between donor countries and not allow the
Congolese to divide and conquer as they have done in the
past. He expects the Congolese to become more difficult to
deal with as nationalist sentiment is stoked by politicians
in the run up to the DRC's elections in 2011. He cited
Afghanistan as a possible model for coordination of
assistance. He said the GOB will complete a strategy around

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mid-September, then share it with privileged partners, such
as the U.S.


4. (C) A key goal of the GOB is getting the DRC back to
security fundamentals and good governance. Specifically, he
sees a need to keep the DRC army out of the mining industry,
as this appears to be an enabler for the current cycle of
hardship. He supports efforts for a Kimberly-like process to
help stem illegal mineral extraction. Despite a lack of
information, the task force on illegal exploitation of
natural resources in the Great Lakes Region aims to put
forward some concrete steps in capacity building for eastern
DRC. He said that ensuring that illegal exploitation does not
occur and providing traceability is challenging, having
resulted in Belgian companies pulling out of the area
entirely.


5. (C) Nijskens believes that the U.S. and Belgium are
correctly taking a tougher stance than France and the UK on
debt relief for the DRC, because if not, the same problems
are going to quickly recur.


Rest of Africa
--------------


6. (C) Burundi received a less critical review from
Nijskens, but the GOB remains vigilant concerning the
possibility of violence in the upcoming elections. Rwanda
has also shown progress, Nijskens said, but the GOB continues
to monitor developments. In Somalia, despite sending a
frigate to the international mission to combat piracy, the
Belgians have not been actively engaged in the root causes of
the country's problems. However, the GOB now wishes to ramp
up its involvement in the various fora discussing Somalia.
Regarding Sudan, Belgian involvement has been exclusively on
the Chadian side, contributing to peacekeeping with other
European Union partners. Belgium has not had a presence in
Zimbabwe for the last two years, since it closed its Embassy
in protest of government repression. GOB officials recently
met with Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in
Brussels and expressed support humanitarian aid for
Zimbabweans, provided the Zanu-PF hardliners do not profit
from it.


Belgium's Commitment to Central Africa
--------------


7. (C) Belgian business interests in Central Africa are
insignificant, with the exception of some air links. When
Belgian industry showed interest in investing in the port
sector, all advances were rebuffed by the Congolese. In
Nijskens' opinion, Africa is still important to Belgium,
because Africa is an "internal domestic agenda," due to some
50,000 Congolese living in Belgium. When asked about China,
Nijskens said that Belgium does not object to China's growing
presence in the DRC and Africa. Nijskens sees China's
business tactics as somewhat outdated, involving barter trade
that encourages lack of transparency and exploitation.
However, he feels that the Chinese now have a better
understanding of the levels of corruption and are less
inclined to try to "to reinvent the wheel" than previously.


8. (C) Poloff reminded Nijskens of additional opportunities
for Belgian participation. He reminded Nijskens that Africom
would welcome Belgian participation in the Africa partnership
station and the presence of a Belgian military liaison
officer at Africom headquarters in Stuttgart.

BUSH
.