US embassy cable - 05KINSHASA1954

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001954 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KPKO, PREL, CG, CIAT 
SUBJECT: CIAT SLAMS GOVERNMENT INERTIA AND PROCRASTINATION 
 
Classified By: CDA TDougherty for reasons 1.4 b/d. 
 
1. (C) Summary:  The International Committee to Accompany the 
Transition (CIAT) on November 25 issued an unusually harsh 
communique, taking the government to task for its continued 
inaction on issues of critical importance in bringing the 
DRC's transition to a successful conclusion.  Frustrated at 
the government's seeming indifference to repeated calls by 
CIAT, the UN Security Council, and others to take immediate 
action on security sector reform, payment of military 
salaries, and adopting essential legislation, CIAT chiefs of 
mission decided the time had come for a sharp and clear 
wake-up call to be delivered to transition leaders.  End 
summary. 
 
2.  (C) At CIAT's weekly meeting on November 24, heads of 
mission were briefed by MONUC on follow-up issues resulting 
from the Security Council's visit to the DRC earlier in the 
month.  Little if any progress has been made on the Security 
Council's recommendations.  Despite repeated calls since 
August for the government to act on the EUSEC Report, no 
response has been received.  Salaries are not being regularly 
paid to troops, a situation which clearly erodes the army's 
effectiveness, undermines security throughout the country, 
and bodes ill for elections-related security the army is 
charged to ensure.  Moreover, the government continues to 
fall further behind in creating new integrated brigades, 
supporting those brigades already formed, and demobilizing 
other troops.  The E.U. Ambassador reported that the 
situation with training and paying the police is equally 
unsatisfactory. 
 
3.  (C) Similarly, concern was expressed about delays in 
adopting essential legislation such as the Electoral Law, 
Amnesty Law, and the Constitutional Referendum.  An amendment 
to the referendum law needed to be passed, allowing the 
referendum to be held later than November 27 as originally 
scheduled.  (Note: On the evening of November 25, Parliament 
agreed to amend the law, and to allow the Independent 
Electoral Commission to set another date.  The Commission had 
earlier called for the referendum to take place on December 
18.  End note.)  The Electoral Law has not yet been debated 
despite repeated entreaties to parliament that the substance 
of the law must be agreed upon well in advance of the 
constitutional referendum so that it can be formally adopted 
immediately thereafter. 
 
4.  (C) Despite recent assurances that the "Espace 
Presidentiel" would meet approximately every two weeks with 
CIAT, no meeting has been held since October 21.  Recent 
formal requests by CIAT for a meeting have not been answered. 
  Likewise, a meeting of the Joint Commission for Security 
Sector Reform chaired by Vice President Ruberwa (which should 
take place monthly) has been postponed several times.  With 
CIAT chiefs of mission clear that the government is evincing 
"a pattern of not accepting responsibility" and that there 
has been "no political will to move forward since the 
Security Council visit," it was decided that a clear message 
needed to be sent to transition leaders to get things back on 
track.  The November 25 communique (see paragraph 6 for full 
text in informal English translation) was accepted by all 
CIAT members and released to the press.  CIAT intentionally 
timed the communique to be released shortly before the visits 
to Kinshasa this week of South African Foreign Minister Zuma, 
Belgian Minister of Defense Flahaut, Belgian Minister of 
Cooperation de Decker, and E.U. Great Lakes Envoy Aiello.  It 
is expected that the visitors will reenforce CIAT's message 
during their meetings with Congolese officials this week. 
 
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Comment 
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5.  (C) The government has not responded to the communique, 
but officials close to Kabila and Ruberwa expressed 
consternation and anger to us, claiming the communique could 
undermine the transition.  We, of course, responded that 
inaction on the part of the transition's leaders is the 
greatest threat to the transition.  President Kabila, who had 
conveyed his annoyance about a much softer communique last 
month (which at least had the effect of getting him to agree 
to meet), has the choice of either digging in his heels and 
ignoring the call for action, or of taking long overdue 
action on the EUSEC Report and other matters that require 
leadership from the top.  End comment. 
 
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Text of Communique 
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6. (U)  An unofficial translation from French of CIAT's 
November 25 communique follows: 
BEGIN TEXT:  CIAT salutes the magnificent efforts and 
commitment of the Congolese people in registering in massive 
numbers to participate in future elections.  Thus far, more 
than 23 million voters have registered.  The time has now 
come for the Congolese leadership to give proof of similar 
efforts and commitment on its part to building a better 
future for the country. 
 
During its recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, 
the United Nations Security Council called for rapid progress 
on needed procedures to hold the referendum on the 
constitution, to pass the amnesty law, and for parliament to 
debate both at the commission and plenary level the draft 
election law.  The electoral law must be dealt with 
procedurally on an urgent basis, ensuring that the substance 
of the law is approved before the referendum of December 18, 
2005 so that Parliament can formally adopt the law 
immediately after the referendum.  Without rapid progress in 
these areas, the election timetable as set out in the Global 
and Inclusive Accord (note: i.e., the Sun City Accord) will 
be unattainable.  CIAT urges the transitional government and 
parliament, as well as the Independent Electoral Commission, 
to move with more speed on these procedures for the 
referendum on the constitution, and to hold to the December 
18 date already set by the Independent Electoral Commission. 
CIAT shares the desire of the people to emerge from the 
transition and to make a new start in the history of the 
country with a duly elected, legitimate government. 
 
CIAT deplores the failure of the Congolese authorities to 
regularly pay and feed the national army, and to ensure 
adequate health conditions for it, despite promises made to 
the Security Council and despite the fact that the State has 
sufficient funds at its disposal.  This failure is 
handicapping the army from operating effectively against 
foreign armed groups such as the FDLR which plague the people 
of the Kivus.  The international community has been waiting 
for months for a response from the government to the EUSEC 
Report, which offers support for an improved system to pay 
the army.  Government acceptance of this report will trigger 
associated financing to help equip newly integrated brigades. 
 CIAT repeats its call for a meeting with no further delay of 
the Joint Commission for Security Sector Reform, as well as a 
meeting between CIAT and the Espace Presidentiel, so that it 
can receive a clear response on the part of the government 
concerning the EUSEC Report.  Both such meetings have 
recently been delayed.  CIAT would like to be reassured that 
the government is committed to paying its army, which is the 
essence of national sovereignty, and that it will not 
tolerate the pursuit of hidden agendas and corrupt practices 
that constitute a betrayal of the people's aspirations. 
 
Kinshasa, November 25, 2005 
 
END TEXT. 
DOUGHERTY