US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA684

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000684 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C, AF/RSA, AND OES 
EMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS BANGUI 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
FROM BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2010 
TAGS: SENV, CF 
SUBJECT: CONGO/B: ENVIRONMENT MINISTER NOTES CONCERNS ON 
USG CBFP APPROACH AND WCS OPERATIONAL ISSUES 
 
REF: KINSHASA 0673 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBIN RENEE SANDERS FOR REASONS 1.5 (A) AND ( 
B) 
 
1. (SBU) CONGO/B'S MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY HENRI 
DJOMBO ASKED TO SEE THE AMBASSADOR APRIL 15 TO DISCUSS ISSUES 
RELATED TO THE CONGO BASIN FOREST PARTNERSHIP (CBFP). 
AMBASSADOR, ACCOMPANIED BY ECON/CONS OFFICER, LISTENED TO THE 
MINISTER'S AGENDA WHICH INCLUDED NOTING HIS CONCERNS ABOUT 
THE USG APPROACH TO WORKING WITH CBFP RECIPENT COUNTRIES.  HE 
NOTED OUR PRIMARY STRATEGY OF ALL OUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT GOING 
TO NGO IMPLEMENTERS AS OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENT AS A SOURCE OF 
SENSITIVITY WITH CBFP BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES.  HE ASLO ADDED 
THAT OTHER CBFP ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS HAD SIMILAR FEELINGS 
REGARDING WHAT THEY VIEWED AS A LACK OF "COORDINATED 
DIALOGUE" AND THE "DIRECTIVE OF APPROACH" OF MANY OF THE NGO 
IMPLEMENTERS SUPPORT BY THE U.S.  FOR CONGO'S PART, THE 
MINSTER MADE SPECIFIC COMMENTS ABOUT SOME OF WILDLIFE 
CONSERVATION SOCIETY'S (WCS) ON THE GROUND OPERATIONAL 
LEADERSHIP.  HE ADDED THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN HOW THE REPORTED 6 
MILLION USD FOR ROC IS GOING TO BE OR HAS BEEN SPENT, NOR DID 
HE HAVE INPUT ON HOW FUNDS SHOULD BE SPENT.  DJOMBO 
EMPHASIZED SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE MEETING THAT HE HAD NEVER 
SEEN A LINE ITEM BUDGET ON THE ALLOCATION OF THE 6 MILLION 
USD, AND THAT OVERALL THE PROJECT DIRECTION OF WCS DID NOT 
FIT WITH HIS VISION OR HIS MINISTRY'S NATIONAL STRATEGY OF 
FORESTRY MANAGEMENT AND ECO-TOURISM, BUT HAD MORE FOCUS ON 
SCIENCE AND RESEARCH. 
 
2.  (SBU) THE AMBASSADOR SAID THAT SHE WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR 
THAT THE MINSTER FELT THAT THE ACTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED ON 
THE GROUND BY WCS WERE NOT IN TUNE WITH HIS MINISTRY'S 
NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR MOVING FORWARD ON CONSERVATION 
MANAGEMENT.  SHE ADDED THAT FROM THE NUMBER OF BRIEFINGS SHE 
HAS RECEIVED FROM WCS AND CARPE, CBFP STRATEGY FOR ROC HAD 
NOT ONLY BEEN DISCUSSED EXTENSIVELY WITHIN HIS MINISTRY, BUT 
ALSO AGREED TO BY OFFICIALS AT THE DIRECTOR LEVEL.  HENCE, 
MANY PROJECTS FROM THAT DIALOGUE WERE NOW IN THE 
IMPLEMENTATION PHASE.  THE AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT SHE WOULD 
CHECK ON WHETHER A LINE ITEM BUDGET HAD BEEN PRESENTED TO ANY 
OF HIS DIRECTORS, THAT SHE WOULD COME BACK TO HIM WITH AN 
ANSWER, AND ALSO REVIEW WITH HIM HOW RESOURCES ARE BEING 
SPENT ONCE CONSULTING WITH CARPE.  THE AMBASSADOR THEN 
PROPSED THAT WHEN THE MINISTER RETURNED FROM HIS UPCOMING 
TRIP TO NEW YORK THAT SHE WOULD ORGANIZE A MEETING WITH HIM 
THAT WILL INCLUDE THE CARPE DIRECTOR TO REVIEW SOME OF HIS 
CONCERNS IN THE HOPES OF CLEARING UP ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS. 
 
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WCS ISSUES 
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3.    (C) THE MINISTER THEN TURNED TO SPECIFIC INTERNAL WCS 
ISSUES THAT APPEARED TO REALLY BOTHER HIM.  HE BEGAN BY 
SAYING THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A NUMBER OF WRITTEN COMPLAINT 
ABOUT WCS,S LEADERSHIP STYLE ON THE GROUND AND THAT THE 
ORGANIZATION WAS HAVING LOTS OF "INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS 
ISSUES8 WITH CONGOLESE IN AREAS WHERE THEY WORK SUCH AS 
LAKTELE, COUMKAUTI, AND NOUAMBALE-NDOKI RESERVES (NB: HE DID 
NOT NECESSARILY MEAN WITH CONGOLESE WORKING FOR WCS, BUT 
COMMUNITIES LIVING IN THESE AREAS). THE MINISTER ALSO ADDED 
THAT HE ALSO WANTED TO SEE INCREASED TRAINING FOR CONGOLESE 
WORKING FOR WCS. TURNING THEN TO THE MEAT OF HIS CONCERN WITH 
THE WCS LEADERSHIP, HE VERY BLUNTLY STATED THAT THE 
&FAMILY8 MANAGEMENT STYLE OF WCS IN CONGO WAS NOT IN THE 
BEST INTEREST OF THE ORGANIZATION. WITH THE COUNTRY DIRECTOR 
AND THE FINANCIAL DIRECTOR BEING A HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM, THE 
MINISTER STATED THAT IN HIS VIEW, THIS SEEMED TO NOT BODE 
WELL FOR DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON MANAGEMENT, PROGRAM 
DIRECTION, AND TRANSPARENCY, NOR WAS IT &PSYCHOLOGICALLY8 A 
GOOD MODEL/EXAMPLE FOR CONGOLESE TO SEE OR FOLLOW.  DJOMBO 
ADDED THAT A HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM EXISTED WITH THE EU,S 
CONSERVATION NGO ECOFAC SEVERAL YEARS AGO IN THE ODZALA 
NATIONAL PARK, WHICH ALSO BECAME A PROBLEM. HE SAID THAT HE 
EVENTUALLY ASKED ECOFAC,S HQ TO CHANGE THE LEADERSHIP AND IT 
COMPLIED.  THE MINISTER SAID HE WAS CONSIDERING RAISING THE 
&FAMILY NATURE8 OF THE OFFICE HERE WITH WCS HQ DURING HIS 
UPCOMING TRIP TO THE U.S. 
 
4.    (C) THE AMBASSADOR ASKED THE MINISTER IF HE HAD RAISED 
ANY OF THESE ISSUES WITH THE WCS COUNTRY DIRECTOR. HE SAID 
NO. AMBASSADOR STATED THAT SHE WOULD DISCUSS THESE ISSUES, 
BUT ALSO ENCOURAGED THE MINISTER OR EITHER ONE OF HIS 
DIRECTORS TO SPEAK TO WCS ABOUT THESE CONCERNS.  THE MINISTER 
NOTED THAT HE PREFERRED THAT THE AMBASSADOR ENGAGE WITH WCS 
ON THESE ISSUES, PARTICULARLY HIS CONCERN ABOUT THE IMAGE OF 
THE &FAMILY8 SET UP OF THE LOCAL OFFICE. AMBASSADOR ADDED 
THAT SHE WOULD BE MEETING WITH CARPE 
DIRECTOR FLYNN ON APRIL 22 TO DISCUSS THIS AND THE OTHER 
ISSUES RAISED IN THE MEETING, AND THAT ALL OF THIS WOULD BE 
ON THE AGENDA FOR THE AMBASSADOR,S AND DR. FLYNN,S MEETING 
WITH HIM IN EARLY MAY. 
 
5.    (C) COMMENT:  MINISTER DJOMBO IS ONE OF THE MOST 
POWERFUL MINISTER IN REPUBLIC OF CONGO, NOT SO MUCH BECAUSE 
HE MANAGES A REVENUE-PRODUCING MINISTRY, BUT BECAUSE HE IS 
EXTREMELY CLOSE TO THE PRESIDENT. DJOMBO WAS ONE OF THE WAR 
LEADERS OF THE NORTHERN COBRAS, SERVING ON THE FRONT LINES 
FIGHTING FOR THE SASSOU SIDE DURING THE 1997-1999 YEARS OF 
CONFLICT. HE ALSO WAS ONE OF THE VOICES THAT HELPED UNSEAT 
FORMER FINANCE MINISTER ANDELY, MEANING THAT PRESIDENT SASSOU 
WILL SUPPORT ANY RECOMMENDATION BY HIM ON THESE ISSUES. 
AMBASSADOR AND DR. FLYNN WILL BE MEETING ON NEXT STEPS APRIL 
22 TO SEE IF THERE ARE WAYS TO ADDRESS THE RANGE OF CONCERNS 
BY DJOMBO.  ON THE ALLOCATION OF THE $6 MILLION FOR ROC, POST 
HAS THE IMPRESSION FROM WHAT WAS SAID AT THE MEETING, THAT 
EVEN IF DOCUMENTS WERE SHOWN BY WCS TO DJOMBO, HE FEELS THE 
PROBLEM IS JUST THAT: THINGS ARE HANDED OVER AS A &FAIT 
ACCOMPLI8 AS OPPOSED TO A DIALOGUE WITH THE MINISTER AS TO 
THE EMPHASIS, DIRECTION, AND AGREEMENT OF RESOURCE 
ALLOCATION.  EMBASSY WILL FURTHER REVIEW WITH CARPE HOW 
THINGS HAVE BEEN EXECUTED AND THEN HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH WCS. 
 
6.    BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE - SANDERS 
 
DOUGHERTY