US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA968

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000968 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER 
DEPT FOR AF/C 
FROM BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2010 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ECON, CF, RW 
SUBJECT: CONGO/B:  ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF CENTRAL AFRICA 
MEETING, ADB CANDIDACY OF RWANDA FINANCE MINISTER DISCUSSED 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBIN R. SANDERS, REASON 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
 
1.  (C) Summary:   As current chairman of the Economic 
Community of Central Africa States (CEEAC/ECCA) sub regional 
organization, President Sassou convened a summit June 7-8 to 
encourage CEEAC Presidents to reinvigorate the near moribund 
entity.  Known more in the region by its French acronym CEEAC 
than the English acronym ECCA, this session sought to clearly 
define the mission of the group, to seek better harmony among 
member states, improve budgetary and financial management of 
resources, and work together for better regional and 
international CEEAC decisions.  Sassou's term as CEEAC 
chairman was extended to March 2006, when Chad takes over the 
chairmanship.  Only three CEEAC Presidents turned up for the 
summit - Bongo of Gabon, Kabila of DRC, and Bozizi of CAR. 
All other heads of state were represented at either the 
vice-presidential (Burundi), prime minister level (Cameroon, 
Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and Rwanda), or ministerial 
level (Sao Tome and Principe).  One of the key issues 
discussed behind closed doors during the session was the 
candidacy of Rwandan Finance Minister Donald Kaberuka for the 
post of the President of the African Development Bank (ADB). 
Kaberuka and Rwanda Prime Minister as well as Foreign 
Minister Mirgande attended the Summit to seek CEEAC member 
support in the next ADB voting round in Tunis July 21-22. 
During Ambassador's June 8 cocktails for Kaberuka and 
Mirgande, she was told that Gabonese President Bongo, at 
present, would not lend his support to the Kaberuka ADB 
candidacy.  Kaberuka also added that the biggest surprise in 
the closed session was that DRC President Kabila said he 
would "consider" supporting the Rwandan candidacy now that 
the Zimbabwean candidate is out. End Summary. 
 
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CEEAC Summit: 
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2.(C) The 11-nation Economic Community of Central African 
States (CEEAC) sub-regional organization held a summit June 
7-8 under the auspices of the current chairman, Republic of 
Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso (Sassou is serving his 
second concurrent term as CEEAC Chairman).  The primary focus 
of the Summit was to increase harmony among member states and 
encourage better commitment and payment of dues to the 
organization. Under the "improving harmony theme," was a 
complaint by Gabonese President Bongo, that CEEAC Presidents 
were not showing up for summit meetings, reflecting a lack of 
commitment to the organization. He reportedly stressed the 
need to improve CEEAC participation at the highest level and 
that he was disappointed with the turn out at this summit 
session. (NB: Part of the problem with poor attendance is 
that CEEAC summit seems to be called every 6 months.) 
 
3. (C) In addition to the lack of harmony issue raised, 
regional integration also was noted as a problem, which ROC 
President Sassou underlined as key to development. President 
Sassou cited the need for a permanent United Nations office 
in Central Africa that would provide long-term assistance to 
member states as an important step as well as having a free 
trade zone, reducing tariffs among CEEAC states, and allowing 
for better immigration practices to assist CEEAC citizens 
with more freedom of movement.  On budget and finance issues, 
reports are that the organization's secretariat is broke and 
has no resources to implement mission goals, albeit the fact 
they are loosely defined.  Each member state was encouraged 
to increase its financial commitment to the CEEAC by 10 per 
cent.  Improving regional security issues noted by the 
members as an important component of regional development. 
Outside of regional government leaders and officials, the UN 
Secretary-General sent two representatives to highlight UN 
 
SIPDIS 
development and HIV/AIDS activities. The ADB also sent a 
representative to the summit. 
 
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Rwandan Finance Ministers ADB Candidacy 
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4. (C) Rwandan Foreign Minister Charles Mirgande and Finance 
Minister Kaberuka briefed Ambassador June 8 over cocktails at 
her home about the closed-door discussion on the latter's 
candidacy for the position of ADB President.  Mirgande said 
that Gabonese President Bongo (also Sassou's son-in-law) was 
in an angry mood over the ADB issue, noting that the region 
had not supported his candidate so why should he support a 
CEEAC move to back Kaberuka.  Both Mirgande and Kaberuka said 
that Sassou played the role of referee with Bongo as he 
sought to encourage him not to block the Kaberuka ADB 
candidacy and emphasized that this issue could be the first 
step in better CEEAC harmony. Despite Sassou's best efforts, 
according to Mirgande and Kaberuka, Bongo would not budge on 
a commitment or public statement of CEEAC support at the 
summit.  However after many interventions by Sassou, Bongo 
later agreed to further discuss the issue at "another time" 
by saying that "Kagame could come to see him to talk about 
it." 
 
5. (C) Kaberuka then highlighted what he thought was the most 
important aspect of the closed-door session: Kabila saying 
before the other leaders that he would "consider" having the 
DRC vote for him now that the Zimbabwean candidate was out. 
The Rwandan Finance Minister added that Kabila asked him to 
come to Kinshasa before the end of June to further discuss 
the issue as well as Kaberuka's vision for the ADB if elected 
in July. Kaberuka told the Ambassador that his position with 
President Kagame upon his return to Rwanda will be not only 
to agree to the travel to Kinshasa, but also recommend that 
Kagame travel to Libreville to see Bongo.  Kaberuka believed 
that Bongo was still smarting from his candidate being out in 
the first round.  However he thought Bongo would come around 
with a little public relations effort by Rwanda such as 
Kagame traveling to Libreville. Mirgande told the Ambassador 
that he was not as convinced that Kagame should go to 
Libreville, but there may be other meeting venues coming up 
were discussions on the ADB issue could be held. 
 
6. (C) Comment:  The CEEAC - established in October 1983 -- 
continues to be a regional organization, with little-to-no 
clout, impact or direction. Although Sassou has been chairman 
of the group since 2003, he has struggled to turn it into a 
bigger version of CEMAC (the Central African Monetary 
Community), which has the six countries of Gabon, Chad, 
Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and 
Equatorial Guinea. CEMAC is more active and has made key 
steps toward better integration among the six member states 
such as a CEMAC passport, free movement of some goods and 
services, and extradition and other treaties.  The biggest 
issue at the CEEAC summit was the ADB candidacy of Kaberuka 
and clearly at the end of the summit harmony was not reached 
on this issue even though there was a press report citing the 
Rwandan Prime Minister as saying all members at the CEEAC 
summit supported Kaberuka. 
 
7. (U) BRAZZAVILLE EMBASSY OFFICE - SANDERS. 
MEECE 
MEECE