AMBASSADOR, UN'S ASSISTANT SYG FOR PEACEKEEPING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000219

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS KPKO CG
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR, UN'S ASSISTANT SYG FOR PEACEKEEPING
OPERATIONS DISCUSS CHANGES IN MONUC'S POSTURE

REF: STATE 18863

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Garvelink for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)


1. (C) Summary: Ambassador Garvelink had a wide-ranging
discussion March 5 with Edmond Mulet, UN Assistant
Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. Mulet
reported that opinion is divided within the GDRC with respect
to MONUC's redeployment plan pursuant to UNSCR 1856. He also
said that, with support from President Kabila, the problem of
Indian withdrawal from MONUC (reftel) may soon be resolved.
A team which includes Foreign Affairs Minister Thambwe, SRSG
Doss, and UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations Alain Leroi will travel to New Delhi later this
month with a letter signed by Kabila asking the Indians to
remain in MONUC. Mulet noted that work to identify the 3,000
additional peacekeepers for MONUC is currently underway, but
there are no commitments thus far for 200 army/SSR trainers
or for additional helicopters. After the redeployment is
carried out, MONUC will maintain one battalion in Kinshasa as
a reserve force. End summary.


2. (C) Ambassador, accompanied by DCM and Poloff, had a
wide-ranging discussion on March 5 with Edmond Mulet, UN
Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.
Mulet was accompanied by Nancy Bright, head of DPKO's office
for operations in the Great Lakes region. They are in
Kinshasa to outline a a strategy for MONUC's new, more robust
posture as a result of UNSCR 1856, which mandates that MONUC
force levels be augmented and that more troops should be
redeployed to the east. Mulet reported that opinion within
the GDRC is divided with respect to this plan: the Minister
of Interior, for example, believes that MONUC's current
deployment posture should remain unchanged, while the
Minister of Foreign Affairs agrees that all forces should go
to the east, asserting that the government can handle
security problems elsewhere in the country. Another issue to
be determined is how MONUC will support local elections,
though Mulet emphasized that they must see a government plan
for holding such elections by the end of this month if the
UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary
Questions (ACABQ) is to set aside funding from MONUC's budget
to support this effort.

Hopes are high that Indians will stay on
--------------


3. (C) Mulet told us that he had met with President Kabila,
who was very thankful and appreciative of MONUC's role in the
DRC and asked for MONUC's help in continuing to support
operations against the FDLR. Additionally, Mulet said,
Kabila has agreed to assist in helping to get India to
overturn its decision to remove its forces from MONUC
(reftel). Mulet expressed optimism that India would, in
fact, reverse its decision. He explained UN Deputy Secretary
General for Peacekeeping Alain Leroi, accompanied by Ban
Ki-moon's chief of staff Vijay Nambiar, would travel to New
Delhi March 13. They would be met there by DRC Foreign
Affairs Minister Alexis Thambwe and SRSG Alan Doss to have
meetings March 14-16. Thambwe will deliver a letter signed
by Kabila asking the Indians to remain in MONUC. Mulet noted
that Thambwe had invited himself to a ceremony for
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by the Indian contingent in
Goma at which he gave an effusive speech.


4. (C) Mulet noted that the work to identify the 3,000
additional peacekeepers for MONUC is currently underway, but
there are no commitments thus far for 200 army/SSR trainers
or for additional helicopters, the latter of which is
particularly crucial to improve MONUC's mobility. He also
expressed some concerns about the mandate to transfer
operations to the east, as that will hamper institution
building in the rest of the country and as the UN agencies at
the present point do not have the resources to handle this
task. The agencies have emphasized that they will need
logistical/transportation support from MONUC and an increase
in voluntary donations from member states to do the job
effectively.

MONUC presence in Kinshasa
--------------


5. (C) Mulet and Bright pointed out that even after
redeploying 95% of MONUC troops to the east, a formed police
unit and a battalion of peacekeepers will remain in Kinshasa

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as a reserve force. Whether or not these elements would play
an active role in addressing problems of social unrest in the
capital would largely depend upon the nationality of the
units stationed here as some troop contributors are more
reluctant than others to play this role. The PKO battalion
remaining in Kinshasa is from Tunisia. Mulet noted, however,
that MONUC police and forces would likely patrol the streets
of Kinshasa in the event of disturbances as a deterrent to
those who would commit violent acts.


6. (C) Mulet also spoke briefly on CNDP integration and DDR
issues in the Kivus, which he characterized as problematic.
One potential flashpoint is the fact that ex-CNDP combatants,
accustomed to being relatively well-equipped, fed, and paid
are now part of an army that does not provide for its troops.
However, he said that MONUC may be able to provide food and
per diem for these ex-combatants during their period of
training (up to three months) in the context of the
integration process.


7. (C) Comment: A potential crisis of disastrous proportions
will have been averted if New Delhi agrees, as Mulet seems to
believe will happen, to rescind the order calling its
soldiers home. But other challenges remain, including how to
ensure that MONUC has all the resources and political support
it requires to fulfill its revised, more robust mandate.
Mulet expressed some concern that the expectations created by
UNSCR 1856 might not match MONUC's capabilities. This, of
course, would exacerbate a problem that has plagued the PKO
since its inception: widespread disappointment by the
Congolese masses in areas where MONUC operates over the UN's
apparent inability to defeat militias and bring about an end
to the conflict. People's perception of MONUC's mandate is,
of course, erroneous, but the problem is real and has led to
anti-MONUC sentiment and even violence. With MONUC now
expected to step up its protection efforts and to provide
increased support to the FARDC in anti-FDLR and anti-LRA
operations, MONUC is in particular need of robust and
flexible assets, both human and technical. End comment.
GARVELINK