US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA543

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000543 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C and AF/RSA 
 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
 
FROM BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MASS, PREL, CF 
SUBJECT: CONGO/B: IMET-FUNDED CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS 
SEMINAR (FEBRUARY 15-18, 2005) 
 
1. SUMMARY: A two-person Center for Civil-Military 
Relations (CCMR) Mobile Education Team conducted an 
IMET-funded civil-military relations seminar February 
15-18 in Brazzaville.  The 51 Congolese participants 
included 22 military and 29 civilians.  The program was 
opened by the Minister of Defense, and the opening and 
closing ceremonies were covered by Congolese 
television.  The program achieved the intended 
Brazzaville Embassy MPP goal of encouraging open 
discussion and understanding between the military and 
civilian sectors of Congo.  Follow-up sessions have 
been held by seminar participants to implement an 
action plan.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. CCMR Mobile Education Team members retired Colonel 
Michael Mensch and Dr. Jessica Piombo led an IMET- 
funded civil-military relations seminar February 15-18 
under the auspices of Embassy Brazzaville.  It was the 
first CCMR civil-military seminar held in the Republic 
of Congo.  The seminar took place at the conference 
facility of the World Health Organization's regional 
center.  The team was assisted by Embassy Brazzaville 
staff members and USDAO staff members from Kinshasa. 
Planning for the program was coordinated among CCMR, 
USDAO Kinshasa and Embassy Brazzaville.  Opening and 
closing remarks were given by the DCM and the director 
of a Congolese human rights NGO.  The seminar was 
opened officially by the Congolese Minister of Defense 
(the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces also attended), 
and closed by the Chief of Staff of the Congolese 
Ministry of Defense.  The program also received support 
from the United Nations Development Program in Congo, 
which gave presentations during the seminar on HIV/AIDS 
and on the Congolese Demobilization and Reintegration 
(DR) program that currently is now underway. 
 
3. Mr. Mensch remarked that the Brazzaville seminar was 
"among the very best we have done in the past six 
years."  He added that "the themes and topics we 
discussed were carefully selected" and "are the 
important issues of the day in the Congo."  The 
participants, which included security forces, civil 
society, executive and legislative branches of the 
government, and the media, "represented their 
constituencies with vigor and candor."  It was 
untypical, but very effective, he said, for media 
representatives to participate, and their presence 
added the very real present-day dimension of taking 
into account the media and the role of publicity in 
contemporary events. 
 
4. The participants debated with the facilitators and 
with each other during the seminar, but they seemed 
united and committed to improving civil-military 
relations in the Congo, recognizing it as essential for 
the country's development and improvement.  The 
participants provided constructive, positive feedback 
to the facilitators, the USDAO participants and the 
Embassy. 
 
5. The seminar explored the relationship between the 
armed forces and civilians in the context of recent 
Congolese history.  Congo continues to emerge from the 
1997-2001 civil war, and civil-military bridge-building 
presents a broad challenge.  Civilian and military 
participants accepted the challenge of creating 
professional, politically neutral and accountable armed 
services.  They also recognized that internal security 
needs must be met for reconstruction to be successful. 
With the blueprint provided by the Action Plan 
developed by participants during the seminar, progress 
in developing better civil-military relations is 
achievable. 
 
6. COMMENT: The seminar addressed the major MPP goal of 
Democratization and Human Rights by providing a forum 
for understanding between military and civilian 
sectors, as well as the media, which often find it hard 
to appreciate or recognize each other's roles and 
perspectives.  The gratitude and satisfaction that the 
participants expressed indicated that they gained from 
the seminar something that they may not have had before 
- the opportunity to hear and be heard across the 
fences separating the civil and military sectors.  The 
facilitators suggested following up this seminar with a 
second seminar, focusing on the relationship between 
public security forces and the media and/or the 
legislature, or a seminar to train Congolese civil- 
military facilitators.  The Embassy supports these 
ideas as constructive, cost-effective means for the 
United States to assist the Republic of Congo in its 
development.  END COMMENT. 
 
7. Embassy Office Brazzaville - Sanders 
 
MEECE