INTERIM RESPONSE: DEMARCHE TO AVERT INDIAN TROOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000374 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR IO/PSC (HEATHER VON BEHREN),AF/C (CHRISTOPHER LAMORA),AND SCA/INS (JOHN ASHWORTH) E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO UNSC CG IN SUBJECT: INTERIM RESPONSE: DEMARCHE TO AVERT INDIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM MONUC REF: STATE 35855 Classified By: Ambassador William J. Garvelink for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Ambassador has requested a meeting with President Kabila to discuss reftel objectives. The Presidency informed post that a meeting on April 16 or 17 was likely. Post has also contacted counterparts at the UK, French, Chinese, Belgian, and South African Embassies to inquire about possible demarches from their side. None of the embassies have instructions to demarche the GDRC, but all of them have promised to raise the possibility with their capitals. The Belgian Ambassador informed Ambassador that he would raise the issue with International and Regional Cooperation Minister Tshibanda in an upcoming meeting. French PolOff told us that the French Embassy, even without specific instructions from Paris, would contact senior GDRC officials to urge them to work towards an outcome that would allow Indian troops to remain. ¶2. (U) Post will report on results of the meeting with President Kabila, as well as any subsequent information from our diplomatic counterparts in Kinshasa. GARVELINK