MONUC/RWANDA: UK HOLDING TO SIX-MONTH RENEWAL, THOUGHTS ON RWANDA IN THE COMMONWEALTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 002743



NOFORN

SIPDIS



DEPARTMENT FOR AF/C, IO/PSC (HEATHER VON BEHREN)



E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2019

TAGS: PREL, UNSC, KPKO, PINR, RW, CG, ZF, FR, UK

SUBJECT: MONUC/RWANDA: UK HOLDING TO SIX-MONTH RENEWAL,

THOUGHTS ON RWANDA IN THE COMMONWEALTH



REF: A. STATE 125749

B. LONDON 2716

C. LONDON 266



Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville, reasons 1.4 (b/d).



1. (C/NF) Summary. The UK is holding firm to a six-month

mandate renewal for MONUC, with Foreign Office officials

saying (a) conditionalities in the mandate would prevent any

potential political bump for DRC President Kabila during the

June 2010 independence celebrations, (b) that the

international community has encouraged the UN to take

ownership of MONUC which it is doing with the SRSG and DPKO

proposals of a six-month mandate, and (c) that MONUC should

not be a "stick with which to beat the DRC government." They

have also suggested the U.S. and UK have a joint dialogue

with the Government of Rwanda about the way operations

against the FDLR will change in the future. They assess

Rwanda's recent Commonwealth membership will give the UK an

additional venue to press the Government of Rwanda on

governance and human rights issues, such as media freedom,

and may have contributed to Rwanda's decision to mend fences

with the French. End summary.



MONUC: The Tide Is For Six-Months

--------------



2. (C/NF) Both Foreign Office East and Central Africa Deputy

Head Graham Zebedee and Peacekeeping Team MONUC Desk Officer

Robin Budd argued strongly in separate December 9 discussions

with Poloff that the USG's concerns about a six-month MONUC

mandate renewal playing into DRC President Kabila's hands

during the June 2010 independence celebrations were unfounded

and were not in step with the UN and rest of the

international community's thinking on the issue. Explaining

the UK's position (which appears to have become more firm

since reftel B),Zebedee and Budd argued:



- The six-month mandate is stronger because it will keep

pressure on Kabila to maintain progress, particularly on SSR.

Conditionalities and other language in the mandate will

clearly indicate when and how MONUC will drawdown,

independent of whatever Kabila decides to do during the
<br />independence celebrations.



- The international community has been encouraging the UN to

take greater ownership of MONUC. The UN Secretary General

and DPKO demonstrated leadership in advocating for a

six-month mandate and in the Secretary General's report,

which "offers a clear narrative on how it will use the next

six-months."



- In considering the DRC government's relationship with

MONUC, it is important to create a context where the DRC and

MONUC can work together. Using MONUC's size and duration as

a "stick with which to beat the DRC government" does not

provide that context.



3. (C/NF) On the counter-proposal of a possible four-month

extension, about which they had already heard ruminations

from their colleagues in New York, Budd and Zebedee simply

state that it would not give the UN or the DRC government

enough time to accomplish what it needs to. Budd also noted

that the UK had been surprised how strongly the French had

argued in favor of the six-month mandate in New York

discussions, as he had heard in Paris that the French would

not be vocal on the issue. He understands the Russians also

support a six-month mandate.



Rwanda: The Future of Operations Against the FDLR

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4. (C) Zebedee said the UK would like to propose to the USG

having a joint U.S.-UK discussion with the Rwandan government

about the way forward for operations against the FDLR as the

model moves from Kimia II to more focused operations. He

said he will be in touch with more specifics, but wanted to

offer a heads up. Poloff will follow-up with Zebedee and

report septel.



Rwanda: The Commonwealth's New Member

--------------



5. (C/NF) Zebedee said that with immediate effect Rwanda has

become a member of the Commonwealth, following the November

29 decision at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting,



and the UK's Embassy in Kigali has become a High Commission.

Zebedee said it will not have a major impact on UK-Rwanda

relations but it does give the UK another venue in which to

have discussions with the Rwandan government about governance

and human rights issues, particularly freedom of the press.

He said Rwanda will also be able to access Commonwealth

programs, including media training projects and parliamentary

exchanges. He also assessed that Rwanda's Commonwealth

membership may have also pushed the Rwandans to mend fences

with the French, as an appeal to Rwanda's francophone elite

to indicate that the country was not aligning itself entirely

with the anglophone world.



Comment

--------------



6. (C/NF) The UK's position on the length of the MONUC

mandate renewal may, at least in part, be based on the

Foreign Office's Peacekeeping Team's "evidence-based

approach" to peacekeeping operation mandates, as outlined in

reftel C.





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