PRETORIA DRC WATCHERS HOLDING ON

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000844

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL CG RW SF
SUBJECT: PRETORIA DRC WATCHERS HOLDING ON

(U) Sensitive but Unclassified -- Please protect accordingly.


1. (SBU) Summary: South Africa's interest in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) has been eclipsed by domestic
politics and more acute Southern African Development
Community (SADC) emergencies, but it has not disappeared.
The United Nations Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC)
maintains an active diplomatic presence in Pretoria, and its
Head of Office recently paid a call on the Charge. The
Department of Foreign Affairs provides training programs for
Congolese diplomats. The Institute for Security Studies
hosts periodic seminars featuring regional players. The DRC
Embassy predicts greater South African Development Community
engagement as the GDRC prepares to take on a SADC leadership
role. End summary.


2. (SBU) On April 21, MONUC Pretoria Head of Office Mujahid
Alem paid a courtesy call on Charge Helen La Lime. Providing
background, Alem said MONUC initially opened in office in
Pretoria at the request of former President Thabo Mbeki at a
time when the Government of South Africa "was very active" in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process. Alem
said "Mbeki wanted to stay in close touch" with events in
DRC. Alem said the MONUC Pretoria office remains open today
primarily because of the numerous diplomatic missions present
and because Pretoria is a medevac destination for MONUC
personnel. Alem said that there are currently 14 MONUC
personnel on medevac status in Pretoria. Alem said the
situation in DRC had improved in the last 3-4 months, but he
stressed that lasting improvements in DRC would require
full-scale security sector reform.


3. (SBU) Department of Foreign Affairs Acting DRC Desk
Warnich recently told DepPolCouns that South Africa is
waiting for signs that the situation has changed
significantly. Asked what the SAG considered those signs to
be, Warnich said a Rwanda decision to extradite Nkunda to DRC
would be a very good sign, adding that an even better sign
would be the establishment of full diplomatic relations.
Asked about South Africa's current role with regard to DRC,
Warnich pointed to DFA's role in U.S.-supported trilateral
cooperation. He noted that DFA is currently training
Congolese diplomats in English and diplomatic tradecraft but
did not have numbers of current participants in this program.


4. (SBU) DRC EMBASSY Pretoria Counselor Kiyoko L. Komba
commented to DepPolCouns that a motivating factor in
President Kabila's agreement to launch joint operations with
Ugandan and Rwandan was his ambition to have Eastern DRC
under control before assuming the presidency of the Southern
African Development Community (SADC). Komba remarked that
former President Mbeki's active role in DRC was not always
helpful, commenting that South Africa's present role is
positive an appropriate.


5. (SBU) Periodic International Security Studies seminars
provide Pretoria-based DRC watchers an opportunity for closer
look and a chance to discuss the dramatic events unfolding in
eastern DRC with key players, including Wilson Center Program
Director Michel Kassa and GDRC DDR Chief Nzekani Zena.
LA LIME