DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO MISSION TO THE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000673 SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP - SEDMONDSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OFDP PREL CG SUBJECT: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO MISSION TO THE UN - RENTAL ARREARS REF: A. USUN264 B. SECSTATE 125526 C.USUN00548 ¶1. This is an action request. See paragraph 3. ¶2. USUN has been contacted again by Vornado Realty Trust regarding nonpayment of rent and associated charges by the Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations (DRCMUN) for office space it leased at 866 UN Plaza, Suite 511 in New York. The DRCMUN has not made any payments to Vornado for six months and arrears are listed at $65,463.69 as of June 4, 2009. This latest complaint from Vornado, and previous, per reftels, make it clear that the DRCMUN is conforming to its usual pattern of accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in rental arrears, requiring USUN letters to the mission and Department demarches to Kinshasa, before its debt is finally settled. ¶3. USUN/HC requests Department instruct Amembassy Kinshasa to demarche appropriate level MFA officials on this persistent problem and requests Department consider requesting the DRCMUN to reduce its financial obligations (through staff reduction or other methods) to what it can afford. RICE