US embassy cable - 01KINSHASA419

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000419 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2010 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, CG 
SUBJECT: KABILA LAID TO REST 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR WILLIAM LACY SWING FOR REASONS 
1.5(B)(D) 
 
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1. (C) SUMMARY 
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IN A DIGNIFIED, WELL ORGANIZED SIX-HOUR CEREMONY, PRESIDENT 
LAURENT KABILA WAS BURIED JANUARY 23 IN THE PRESENCE OF SIX 
AFRICAN PRESIDENTS, AND NEARLY A DOZEN OTHER HIGH-LEVEL 
FOREIGN DELEGATIONS ALMOST ALL OF WHOM DEPARTED KINSHASA 
BEFORE NIGHTFALL.  SECURITY WAS TIGHT AROUND THE NEW 
PRESIDENT, JOSEPH KABILA, WITH ANGOLAN AND ZIMBABWEAN 
REINFORCEMENTS FORMING ITS BACKBONE, AND, WHILE THERE WERE 
TENSE MOMENTS AMONG THE HUGE CROWD LINING THE STREETS, THERE 
WERE NO MAJOR INCIDENTS.  OFFICIAL EULOGIES, OVERALL, WERE 
CONCILIATORY.  AFTER THE FUNERAL, THE GOVERNMENT IMMEDIATELY 
BEGAN PREPARATIONS FOR THE INAUGURATION OF JOSEPH KABILA.. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
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2. (C) STRONG FOREIGN PARTICIPATION 
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SIX AFRICAN HEADS OF STATE ATTENDED THE FUNERAL SERVICE AT 
THE PALAIS DU PEUPLE AND BURIAL AT A NEW MAUSOLEUM IN FRONT 
OF THE PALAIS DE LA NATION.  BESIDES THE DRC'S THREE SADC 
ALLIES -- DOS SANTOS OF ANGOLA, MUGABE OF ZIMBABWE, AND 
NUJOMA OF NAMIBIA -- ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT CHILUBA, AND THE 
SUDANESE AND MALAWIAN HEADS OF STATE ALSO ATTENDED. 
 
OTHER DELEGATIONS INCLUDED:  FORMER NIGERIAN HEAD OF STATE 
ABUBAKAR; THE VICE PRESIDENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA AND KENYA; 
BELGIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER LOUIS MICHEL; AS WELL AS 
MINISTERIAL DELEGATIONS FROM GUINEA/CONAKRY; EQUATORIAL 
GUINEA; MOROCCO; TANZANIA; LIBYA; IRAN; CUBA; BENIN; CHAD; 
AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE; AND THE OAU DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL. 
 
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3. (S) SECURITY TIGHT 
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SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUNERAL AND BURIAL WERE TIGHT. 
ANGOLA FLEW IN SEVERAL HUNDRED REINFORCEMENTS, INCLUDING A 
NUMBER OF THEIR OWN POLICE VEHICLES, AND ZIMBABWE MADE 
IMPRESSIVE FIGHTER PLANE FLYOVERS DURING POIGNANT MOMENTS, 
INCLUDING AT THE TIME KABILA'S BODY WAS PLACED IN A MARBLE 
MAUSOLEUM, HASTILY CONSTRUCTED IN THE DAYS SINCE HIS 
ASSASSINATION. 
 
AT A RUMP SESSION OF WESTERN AMBASSADORS FOLLOWING THE 
FUNERAL AND BURIAL, THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR ASSERTED THAT, WITH 
VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS, BOTH THE CONGO'S RAPID INTERVENTION 
POLICE AND THE FAC MILITARY HAD BEEN DISARMED, PUTTING 
SECURITY AT PRESENT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN THE HANDS OF THE 
ANGOLANS AND ZIMBABWEANS. 
 
EMOTIONS WERE RUNNING HIGH THROUGHOUT THE DAY, CAUSING US AS 
WELL AS THE FRENCH AND SEVERAL OTHER EMBASSIES TO PUT OUT AN 
"ALL CALL" RADIO MESSAGE TO WARDENS AND OTHER CITIZENS TO 
STAY OFF THE STREET FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.  SOME IN THE 
CROWDS THICKLY LINING THE STREETS YELLED INSULTS AT DIPLOMATS 
AS THEIR CARS PASSED, AND THERE WERE ISOLATED INSTANCES OF 
STONES BEING THROWN AT DIPLOMATIC VEHICLES, INCLUDING THAT OF 
BELGIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER ON HIS WAY TO THE AIRPORT. 
 
THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INCIDENTS, HOWEVER, AND NO ONE OF WHOM 
WE ARE AWARE WAS INJURED.  IN GENERAL, SECURITY AUTHORITIES 
DID A COMMENDABLE JOB OF MAINTAINING ORDER, ESPECIALLY GIVEN 
THE RECORD NUMBER OF PERSONS ON THE STREET.  (IN CONTRAST TO 
THE FUNERAL AT THE "PALAIS DU PEUPLE", CROWDS WERE EXCLUDED 
FROM APPROACHING THE BURIAL SITE AT THE DOWNTOWN "PALAIS DE 
LA NATION".) 
 
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4. (S) EULOGIES TO A SLAIN LEADER 
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OVERALL, THE PUBLIC EULOGIES TO KABILA WERE CONCILIATORY AND 
FORWARD-LOOKING.  THE MAJOR EXCEPTION WAS THAT OF THE 
"TRANSITIONAL PARLIAMENT" (ACL-PT) REPRESENTATIVE WHICH 
LARGELY REHASHED THE STANDARD FARE CONCERNING RWANDAN/UGANDAN 
AGGRESSION.  MINISTER OF STATE KAKUDJI, WHILE BLAMING ALL OF 
THE CONGO'S CURRENT PROBLEMS ON THE WAR, DID ENDORSE A 
DIALOGUE AMONG THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE "ONCE ORDER HAS BEEN 
RESTORED."  THE WAR, HE SAID, HAD "UNFORTUNATELY" RUINED THE 
PROSPECTS FOR KABILA'S PROGRAM OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC 
REFORMS.  HE RECEIVED LOUD APPLAUSE WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THAT 
THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SPARE NO EFFORT IN CONDUCTING A THOROUGH 
INVESTIGATION OF THE ASSASSINATION, BUT NO APPLAUSE ON EITHER 
OF THE TWO OCCASIONS WHEN BE REFERRED TO JOSEPH KABILA AS THE 
NEW PRESIDENT.  KAKUDJI CALLED ON MONUC TO DEPLOY AND FOR THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THE UNSC RESOLUTIONS 
ARE IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY. 
 
THE CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP, CARDINAL ETSOU, MADE THE MOST 
THOUGHTFUL AND COURAGEOUS ELOCUTION OF THE DAY, CONDEMNING 
ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE IN PURSUIT OF, OR TO CONSERVE, POWER. 
HE URGED A SINCERE, FRANK DIALOGUE AMONG THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE 
"WITHOUT EXCLUSION," IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A STATE OF LAW AND 
PROSPEROUS NATION, AND APPEALED TO ALL THE BELLIGERENTS TO 
END THE WAR. 
 
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5. (S) COMMENT: 
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WE, AND OUR DIPLOMATIC COLLEAGUES, CONTINUE TO BE IMPRESSED 
WITH THE SMOOTH, EFFICIENT MANNER IN WHICH THE INTERIM 
GOVERNMENT IS CONDUCTING THE AFFAIRS OF STATE, AT LEAST ON 
TECHNICAL MATTERS SUCH AS FUNERAL AND OTHER ARRANGEMENTS. 
THEY ARE NOW BUSILY PREPARING THE INAUGURATION OF JOSEPH 
KABILA AS HIS FATHER'S SUCCESSOR. 
 
 
SWING