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