US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA231

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000231 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, KDEM, CG 
SUBJECT: CATHOLIC BISHOPS TELL POLITICIANS TO GET TO WORK, 
HOLD ELECTIONS "ASAP" 
 
REF: A. KINSHASA 183 
 
     B. KINSHASA 204 
     C. KINSHASA 205 
     D. KINSHASA 218 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY:  The Congo's Catholic bishops issued a public 
statement on February 5, calling upon the transitional 
government and parliament to buckle down so that national 
elections can take place "as soon as possible."  The 
statement also warned unnamed political parties against 
"manipulating and intoxicating" the population.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Statement 
------------ 
2. (U) The Congo's Catholic bishops, collectively represented 
by the National Episcopal Conference of the Congo (CENCO), 
issued a statement on February 5--the day after a high-level 
"Inter-Institutional Seminar" on the transition and electoral 
process, which the Church declined to attend (reftels).  The 
main points of the statement are as follows (informal 
translation): 
 
--the current transition is the best way to establish rule of 
law, political stability and lasting prosperity 
 
--elections should take place as soon as possible to allow 
the people, the ultimate source of legitimacy, to choose 
leaders and decide key constitutional questions 
 
--there are currently many positive signs, such as a growing 
sense of shared national identity and patriotism, a desire 
among the public to hold elections, and a refusal to engage 
in a "war imposed from the outside" 
 
--there are also many worrisome aspects, such as political 
leaders' focus on power-sharing issues instead of on the 
broader national interest, the state's failure to provide 
basic health services and education, the defiling of 
churches, and insecurity in eastern Congo 
 
--the country's borders and national sovereignty are not 
negotiable;  the people reject balkanization, occupation, and 
illegal exploitation of the Congo's resources 
 
--parliament needs to quickly adopt the 2005 budget, draft a 
constitution that is "specifically Congolese," and should not 
give itself the "luxury of taking a vacation" while the 
country is in turmoil 
 
--the government should speed up military integration, and 
"show through concrete action its political will to hold 
elections" and respect the agreements that ended the war 
 
--members of the international community are to be thanked 
for their support, but should ensure that their 
representatives in the Congo act ethically and transparently 
 
--political parties are committing a serious offense if they 
"manipulate and intoxicate" the people, and should favor 
dialogue and negotiation as a means of resolving crises 
 
--the Congolese people should develop a culture of "law, 
justice and equality," learn republican and democratic 
values, and accept responsibility for their own future;  they 
should also refrain from pillaging and profaning churches and 
cemeteries 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
3. (SBU) The message puts additional pressure on the 
political class to bring the transition to an eventual close. 
 At the same time, it distances the Catholic church from the 
transitional government, in an apparent attempt to deflect 
criticism fueled by the UDPS and other opposition figures. 
These have charged, inaccurately, that because the head of 
the Independent Electoral Commission is a Catholic priest, it 
means that the church is intimately involved with the 
electoral process, including any possible delay in elections. 
 END COMMENT. 
 
4. (U) Bujumbura minimize considered. 
MEECE