RWANDA NO "ISLAND" - KAGAME PREACHES REGIONAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIGALI 000588

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON EAID CG RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA NO "ISLAND" - KAGAME PREACHES REGIONAL
STABILITY, INTEGRATION

REF: KINSHASA 796

KIGALI 00000588 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Ambassador W. Stuart Symington for reasons 1.4 (b) (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: During a September 13 meeting with visiting
senior State Department officials, President Kagame said his
country's future success depended on the stability and
prosperity of the region as a whole. Accordingly, Rwanda
wanted closer ties with neighbors such as the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and was in favor of greater regional
integration through the East African Community. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) The Department's Senior Advisor for Innovation, Mr.
Alec Ross, and Policy Planning Staff member Mr. Jared Cohen
visited Rwanda and met with President Paul Kagame on
September 13. Ambassador and poloff also attended; other
Rwandan participants, all from the Office of the President,
included strategy and policy unit chief Jean-Paul Kimonyo,
communications director Yolande Makolo, and deputy personal
private secretary Irene Zirimwagabago.

Rwanda's Regional Approach
--------------

3. (C) In response a question from the Ambassador about how
Rwanda viewed the region, Kagame said that even if Rwanda
achieved success, such success would not last if Rwanda were
"an island amidst chaos." Rwanda's success depended on the
success of others, he explained, adding that Rwanda wanted to
work with neighboring countries toward common goals--peace
and security, economic development--so its own achievements
would be durable. This was the logic behind Rwanda's desire
for greater regional integration, including its decision to
join the East African Community (EAC). "There are lots of
divisions on this continent," Kagame noted, such as between
anglophones and francophones. He said that when Rwanda
announced its intent to join the EAC, some Europeans had
asked whether Rwanda intended to quit francophone groupings
such as the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries
(CEPGL) or the Economic Community of Central African
Countries (CEEAC). His response was that Rwanda saw no
contradiction or conflict in being a member of all three. In
his view, rather than causing problems, EAC membership
"solves problems for us" by allowing Rwanda to be part of a
bigger community and escape isolation. (Comment:
Domestically, the GOR's decision to phase out the use of
French language in favor of English has caused worry among
many francophones. Political opponents and critics of Kagame
have heavily criticized this decision and are lobbying for
the Commonwealth to reject Rwanda's pending application for
membership. At last report, however, it seems to be moving
ahead. End Comment.)

Relations with DRC and Tackling the FDLR
--------------

4. (C) Acknowledging USG support for improved relations
between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC),Kagame said that while he and DRC President Joseph
Kabila have typically discussed "the usual issues" such as
dealing with armed groups in eastern DRC, at their August 6
summit (see reftel) they also addressed cooperation on
economic issues, including the Lake Kivu joint methane gas
venture, linking the countries by fiber optic cable and
adopting a common approach to climate change and
environmental protection. Such initiatives, according to
Kagame, "would cement our relations" and help the two
QKagame, "would cement our relations" and help the two
countries work towards common interests. Regarding the
threat to Rwanda from the Democratic Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR),in Kagame's view the "number
one" challenge was to ensure that the FDLR no longer received
any direct or indirect support in the DRC, including from the
Congolese government. That is why Rwanda's cooperation with
the DRC is so important, he emphasized. To achieve that
goal, it was essential to isolate FDLR leaders politically.
If that happened, there would be "no need to fire a shot."
As for Rwandan interests in eastern Congo, he said Rwanda was
concerned about the security of its methane gas project on
Lake Kivu, but reiterated that Rwanda's "most important"
interest was in partnering with and supporting the DRC in
order to bring peace, stability and development to the wider
region.

Science & Technology
--------------

5. (C) On Rwanda's approach towards science and technology,
especially information technology (IT),Kagame said the GOR

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sought to embrace IT as a means of reinforcing its efforts to
invest in all other areas of development, including health
and education. Within the GOR, some had argued that IT would
divert resources from more pressing needs such as schools,
health clinics or hunger, but, he asserted, it was not an
either/or proposition. "In our case," explained Kagame,
"everything is a priority. We have no luxuries." IT
investment did not divert resources, it helped the GOR deal
with problems in such as education (through distance
learning),agriculture (by sharing information and knowledge
with farmers) and health (by tracking patients, drug stocks,
and providing long-distance medical advice). Once people
have access to quality education and health care, he
continued, they will be able to solve their own problems and
not look to government for solutions. (Comment: This last
habit will be difficult to break, as many Rwandans past and
present have looked to government jobs and official patrons
as the surest source of economic security. End Comment.)

COMMENT
--------------

6. (C) Kagame's stated desire for regional stability,
improved ties with neighbors such as the DRC, and greater
economic cooperation reflect Rwanda's new reality. It can
only grow its economy rapidly enough to meet its expanding
population's rising expectations by becoming part of a
regional economy linked to global markets and capital. The
most valuable elements of Rwanda's economy lie within a few
miles of its borders with the DRC, Uganda and Burundi: its
sources of energy (hydro today, methane tomorrow),main
tourism sites, and best agricultural land (producing tea,
coffee and food). However, it cannot secure its future
growth by securing only its immediate borders. Rwanda must
push economic integration to transform itself from a country
at the "end of the line" into a "regional hub."


7. (C) In describing relations with the DRC, Kagame did not
dwell long on the FDLR threat, nor did he mention Rwanda's
own history of intervention in the DRC before its early 2009
joint operations with the DRC against the FDLR. The largely
unheralded August 6 Kagame-Kabila summit in Goma, DRC,
reflected a paradigm shift for many. That meeting confirmed
in the minds of many Rwandans (and, perhaps, many in the
FDLR) that both presidents were committed to a partnership
with each other and not armed groups. Our challenge, and
that of other international supporters of peaceful
development in Central Africa, is to find concrete ways to
provide a market-linked "peace or partnership dividend" to
reinforce this critical shift. END COMMENT.
SYMINGTON