SRSG MEETS WITH SENIOR DIPLOMATS ON EVE OF TRIP

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000639 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC MARR RW CG SUBJECT: SRSG MEETS WITH SENIOR DIPLOMATS ON EVE OF TRIP TO NEW YORK FOR JULY 10 SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Following are notes on July 5 meeting between Alan Doss with representatives (ambassadors or DCM's) of Belgium, France and the U.S. just prior to his departure for New York to attend the Security Council's July 10 on MONUC. UK rep was unable to attend. Ambassador will meet this week with senior GDRC officials to urge action on the list of human rights violators given to President Kabila in May by UNSC President Riper. While not classified, this message is sensitive; information contained herein should not be attributed. End summary. Upcoming SC meeting -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Doss called the meeting to discuss the July 10 meeting of the UN Security Council on MONUC's activities and on other issues. Doss leaves July 6 for New York. Doss noted he has asked to see Kabila July 6 before his departure for New York. (Note: Kabila is scheduled to return July 5 from Goma and will receive the credentials of five new ambassadors on July 6. Doss was not optimistic he would get in to see Kabila. End note.) ¶3. (SBU) The first part of meeting focused on what Doss expects to happen in New York on July 10. Doss said that if he saw Kabila he would remind him that he had promised to take action on the five names on the list given him by UNSC President Ripert when the Security Council visited the DRC in May, as nothing has yet been done regarding the list. Doss said he did not understand why Kabila had not yet acted; the persons on the list were not as politically sensitive as many others. Doss said he heard from several sources that Kabila is "down on MONUC again." Also, he continued, as the situation with the FARDC gets worse, Kabila feels cornered and tries to deflect criticism by blaming MONUC. He continued that Kabila tended to take articles in the international press about FARDC personally. But this ploy (blaming MONUC),Doss said, was less credible than it was last year. ¶4. (SBU) Doss said he expected to hear many complaints in New York about increased human rights violations resulting from, or connected with, Operation Kimia 2. He had discussed this in a letter to the Washington Post that published on July 3. His answer to critics is "But what would you have us do?" One piece of good news, Doss noted, was that there is much less action on the LRA front. New DRC ambassador to Rwanda 
 -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Doss said he had just learned who the new DRC ambassador to Rwanda will be: Norbert Nkulu Kilombo Mitumba, a former foreign minister. (Note: The Kigali Times has since printed a story on Nkulu's nomination. Bio information on Nkulu will follow septel. End note.) Kimia 2 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The conversation turned to Kimia 2. Doss noted that when troops are paid, human rights abuses go down. When troops are properly fed this is also the case. He lamented problems involved with MONUC efforts to feed FARDC: it was difficult to get the food to the FARDC and was usually delivered via helicopter drop. He had learned that the FARDC, which was often bivouacked far from drops, was now impressing locals as porters, in effect using forced labor for porterage. This, he feared, would only result in more accusations of human rights abuses against MONUC. At present helicopters could not get closer to FARDC camps because there are not enough military helicopters -- civilian helicopters are not allowed into war zones. Another solution should be considered: procuring food locally. But this was against UN policies on competitive bidding. Doss said he might ask ambassadors of France, UK, and U.S. to urge in the Security Council that the competitive bidding process be dropped. This would result in getting food more quickly and less expensively to the FARDC. Lack of military helicopters was also a problem for would-be FDLR defectors; they would not risk turning themselves in at far-away processing centers because of fears of ambush. But, again, there were not enough military helicopters to collect them in the bush. July 10 debate: reprise -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Conversation turned again to SC debate. Doss said core of the debate would be on Kimia 2. He said main questions would be: what is the impact of K-2 on the civilian population? What is time frame (was an end in sight?),and how could the civilian population be better protected? Doss was of the view it would be disastrous to suspend K-2. If this happened, the FDLR would come back with a vengeance, killing many innocent civilians and possibly adversely impacting DRC-GOR detente. Instead, what was needed was to: push for greater discipline within the FARDC; to pay soldiers' salaries on time and in full; and to revive the 4 x 4 mechanism to find ways to attract more young Rwandans not implicated in the genocide back to Rwanda and to agree on other ways to "peel them off" from the FDLR. One of these "ways" had to be letting any young FDLR with a claim to DRC citizenship to stay in the DRC. Doss referred to the idea, put forward by French ambassador at the July 2 MONUC P-5 plus others meeting, that the GoR would have to "open more political space" for these young FDLR members. Cabinet reshuffle -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Doss and others compared notes on latest developments regarding a rumored cabinet shuffle. All agreed this would probably not occur until September. Bashir and ICC -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Question was asked about recent decision at AU summit regarding refusal to respect ICC sanctions against Bashir and whether this might also affect DRC's willingness to turn ex-CNDP leader Bosco Natanganda over to the ICC. Doss noted that DRC did not take part in the decision as it cannot vote in the AU because it has not paid the arrears ($10 million) it owes to the organization. Bemba on leave for father's funeral -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Belgian ambassador stated that Belgian government has agreed to let Jean-Pierre Bemba come to Brussels on July 7 to attend father's funeral. Bemba had asked for 10 days but GOB agreed to a period of less than 24 hours. Bemba's movement was restricted only to places relating to the funeral -- where the body is being viewed and the cathedral, where the funeral service will be held. He will be heavily guarded by Belgian security forces. Belgian ambassador has been in touch with foreign minister so that GDRC is fully informed. Belgian said the family is "desperate for money." Letter of DRC UN permrep on UNDP programs -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Congolese Permrep's recent letter to SC president regarding the disbanding of certain UNDP programs (a letter that was not authorized by GDRC) was mentioned. Doss noted that Alain LeRoi has written the SC president in response to the permrep's request for information. (Note: Embassy would appreciate receiving a copy of LeRoi's letter. End note.) New MONUC point person on SSR -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Doss stated he would meet July 6 with Defense Minister Charles Mwamba Nsimba to introduce MONUC new point person for Security Sector Reform, Francis Saudubray, a former French ambassador and judge. Great Lakes Summit back on -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Doss mentioned that the Great Lakes summit was back on track for mid-August in Lusaka. He asked if A/S Carson would attend. ¶14. (SBU) Embassy will meet with senior Congolese officials this week to urge quick action on the list of five individuals given to President Kabila during SC visit in May. GARVELINK