US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA356

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000356 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KPKO, CG, RW 
SUBJECT: SAN'EGIDIO COULD SEE SUCCESS 
 
 
1. (SBU) Ambassador received a letter from President Kabila's 
Ambassador-at-Large Antoine Ghonda informing him that on 
March 6, the FDLR has agreed in principle to publicly agree 
to renounce violence, denounce the Rwandan genocide, and 
agree to disarm and voluntarily repatriate to Rwanda. 
 
Informal Embassy translation of the letter follows. 
 
March 1 2005 
 
Information Concerning the DDRRR Program 
 
(complimentary opening) 
 
I have the honor of informing you that within the context of 
implementing the peace accords signed between the Democratic 
Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda and conforming 
to UN Security Council Resolution 1565 which gives the DRC 
the responsibility to undertake a DDRRR Program, the 
transitional government has initiated a series of demarches 
to convince Rwandan armed groups to agree in principle to 
disarm and voluntarily repatriate to their country of origin. 
 
In this context, a second meeting is scheduled for March 6, 
2005 in Rome, Italy between Congolese officials and a 
delegation of military and political FDLR leaders under the 
aegis of the Italian Community of San'Egidio. 
 
During the course of the first meeting, organized in the same 
city on February 4, 2005, the FDLR agreed, in principle, to 
the following pre-conditions put forward by the Congolese 
delegation: 
 
1. The FDLR would renounce military options and commit itself 
to continuing its fight in the political arena. 
 
2. The FDLR would denounce the Rwandan genocide and its 
authors, and commit itself to fighting genocidal ideology and 
ethnic hatred. 
 
3. Along similar lines, the FDLR would denounce the massacre 
of Rwandans perpetrated by Rwandan troops in Congolese 
territory. 
 
4. The FDLR would accept participating in the repatriation 
program of Rwandan refugees in the Congo. 
 
In addition to these four pre-conditions, FDLR leaders added 
other conditions, notably concerning security measures, 
recovering debts owed to them, justice, political 
recognition, humanitarian assistance for repatriated 
refugees, political asylum for those not cited for crimes of 
genocide, and the creation of a pilot program for DDRRR. 
 
During the March 6 meeting, the FDLR is scheduled to sign a 
public declaration supporting its acceptance of the four 
pre-conditions previously mentioned, and its engagement in 
persuading armed groups to return to Rwanda. 
 
I would like to clarify that this demarche does not at all 
modify other measures adopted in this sense by the 
transitional government, notably the possibility of forcible 
disarmament of recalcitrant armed groups. 
 
(complimentary close) 
 
 
2. Bujumbura minimize considered. 
MEECE