SARKOZY'S KINSHASA VISIT GOES OFF WELL; WILL IT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000291 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL CG SUBJECT: SARKOZY'S KINSHASA VISIT GOES OFF WELL; WILL IT SUCCEED IN PUTTING FRANCO-AFRICAN RELATIONS BACK ON A SOLID FOOTING? REF: KINSHASA 283 Classified By: Ambassador William Garvelink for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . ¶1. (C) Summary: During a March 26 speech to the DRC Parliament, French President Sarkozy acknowledged that outside interference had hindered the DRC's development, but he also pointed to domestic factors contributing to political instability and lack of economic prosperity: mismanagement (corruption),as well as political and ethnic divisions. Affirming emphatically France's support for the DRC's "inalienable sovereignty," Sarkozy stressed that Congolese stability was necessary for regional stability. Sarkozy praised President Kabila's "courageous decision" to mend relations with Rwanda, and he exhorted the DRC to actively participate in forging deeper regional economic integration. Several major commercial deals were concluded, including an AREVA and Gecamines agreement to mine uranium, a contract to refurbish the Kinshasa Airport and to repair the Inga 2 hydroelectric plant, among others. Reaction to Sarkozy's visit from the Congolese media and from across the political spectrum was generally positive. The trip was more about France -- and Sarkozy -- than about the DRC, as the French President carefully planned his speech to overcome the negative fallout from his 2007 Dakar speech and to put Franco-African relations back on a solid footing. It will be for others to make that call, but it looks to us like he has succeeded. That the trip took place at all is a major achievement given the resignation, less than 24 hours before, of the Congolese National Assembly President. End Summary. ¶2. (U) French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a lightning visit to the DRC on March 26, arriving at Kinshasa's airport at 9:00 am, some 90 minutes late. During an address before a joint session of the DRC Senate and National Assembly (with the Assembly's caretaker President, Vital Kamerhe, on the dais -- reftel),Sarkozy characterized the DRC as a "giant," whose stability was key to the stability of the region. He frankly admonished the DRC to change in order to become the backbone of Central Africa, not the weak link. The DRC, he said, should not be the source of regional instability, rather a positive force for the region's economy, a major player in Africa, in the UN, and within the Francophonie. 
Sarkozy stressed that France would not waver in its support for the DRC's sovereignty. ¶3. (U) Africa, according to Sarkozy, was at a critical point when it must "move at the same rhythm as the rest of the world." He highlighted that the DRC had often been a victim of outside forces -- colonialism, cold war politics, and, of course, spillover effects from the horrific Rwandan genocide, which unleashed a regional conflagration and foreign aggression on DRC soil. At the same time, Sarkozy said, the Congolese people had suffered from internal convulsions: ethnic and political divisions; mismanagement, and economic "looting," which had led to the illegal exploitation of the DRC's resources. Quoting Patrice Lumumba, Sarkozy exhorted the Congolese people to "make Congo a prosperous nation in the middle of Africa." ¶4. (U) Sarkozy praised democratic development in the DRC, congratulating President Kabila, provincial parliaments and the national parliament ("democracy's lung"). He recognized that Congolese democracy was weak because it was young. It was important for democracy to take root, and holding local elections would further this process. ¶5. (U) On the economic front, Sarkozy noted that the international financial crisis affected all countries. Export revenues were down as the DRC's mining sector contracted. France, Sarkozy continued, was ready to help the DRC to meet IMF requirements with the ultimate goal being the elimination of the DRC's debt. ¶6. (U) Sarkozy called on the GDRC to radically reconfigure its relations with its eastern neighbors. By "courageously" extending his hand to Rwanda, President Kabila had begun this process. However, more could be done. The moribund Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) offered opportunities for regional economic development and should be revived. The CEPGL could, in Sarkozy's view, be extended beyond the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi to include Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. Economic integration, along the model that Europe undertook after World War II, wound facilitate KINSHASA 00000291 002 OF 002 regional political dialogue. Media and Political Reactions -------------- ¶7. (U) Reaction to Sarkozy's visit has been generally positive from across the Congolese political spectrum and in the DRC media. Opposition parties noted Sarkozy's call to further deepen DRC democracy, as well as France's support for a united and strong DRC in the heart of Africa. Protest Stopped -------------- ¶8. (U) On a sour note, police reportedly arrested six members of the opposition UDPS party, who were attempting to organize a sit-in in front of the French Embassy to protest Rwanda's alleged predatory actions to access the DRC's resources. The prominent NGO Voix des Sans-Voix has called for the immediate release of the individuals. Reaffirming Linguistic Ties -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Not surprisingly, Sarkozy emphasized the importance of French as the basis of the special relationship between France and the DRC. Noting that when traveled throughout the world, others listened to him through "earphones and interpreters," he could speak directly with the Congolese "without needing anyone for us to understand each other." Appealing to Congolese pride, he stated categorically: "You are the largest francophone country in the world." He also expressed his desire that Kinshasa host the Francophonie Summit in 2012 (Note: France had supported the DRC as host in 2010, but Kabila's failure to go to Quebec to lobby for Kinshasa resulted in Antananarivo taking the prize; France cannot call for Madagascar forfeiting the summit in 2010 so shortly after a pro-French government has been installed in that country. End Note). Doing Business -------------- ¶10. (U) Numerous commercial deals were announced on the margins of Sarkozy's visit. Most prominently, AREVA and Gecamines signed an agreement to prospect for and mine uranium. Other business transactions were symbolically finalized, including a contract by Groupe Veci to restore the Kinshasa Airport for Euro 37 million; a cement factory to be built by Lafarge; repairs to the Inga 2 Hydroelectric Plant and agreements with Suez and Veolia to improve water and power supply plants. French and DRC officials also signed a Francophonie draft agreement to provide the DRC with up to Euro 5 million in primary and vocational education assistance. ¶11. (C) Comment: Overall, the Sarkozy visit appears to have gone off well here. Even President Kabila, characteristically glum at formal occasions, loosened up and engaged in light banter with his French counterpart at the formal luncheon just after the speech. Kabila must also have been happy that his ordeal with National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe (reftel) was over. To the satisfaction of the international community, Kamerhe was invited to the luncheon and also seemed relaxed and upbeat. But the visit was more about France -- and Sarkozy -- than about the DRC, as Sarkozy was intent on countering the bad aftertaste following his controversial speech in Senegal in July 2007, when many Africans perceived his comments as having been condescending. Sarkozy's message this time seemed to us to be right on, acknowledging that external interference had often held back the DRC's development, but also urging the Congolese to accept that only they can bring about economic and political stability in the DRC and throughout the region. We think he succeeded in overcoming the legacy of Dakar, but those more knowledgeable than we are, are better positioned to make that call. GARVELINK