Cablegate: European Peacekeeping Force Formally Launched

VZCZCXRO1233
PP RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR
DE RUEHKI #0998 1780652
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270652Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4199
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000998

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV MOPS KPKO ASEC CG ELECTIONS
SUBJECT: EUROPEAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE FORMALLY LAUNCHED

1. (U) Summary: In the first of what will reportedly be
weekly press conferences, on June 22 the initial phase of the
European Union election support/peacekeeping operation force
was formally introduced by Aldo Ajello, EU Special Rep to the
Great Lakes, and Gen. Karlheinz Viereck (Germany), commander
of the EUFOR operations. Despite sometimes confrontational
questions from the Congolese press, Ajello and Viereck both
emphasized the limited role of EUFOR and the responsibility
of the GDRC itself for securing the upcoming elections. End
summary.

2. (U) Ajello and Viereck both emphasized that the EUFOR is
a supplemental mission specifically mandated to support MONUC
forces in keeping the peace and support the Congolese people
during the election and post-election period. The mission is
expected to be fully operational by July 29 and has an
initial mandate of four months. The operational headquarters
will be in Potsdam, Germany, with 800 troops stationed in
Kinshasa and a 1,200 man "strategic rapid reaction force"
stationed in Gabon. In Kinshasa, EUFOR's main tactical base
will be at Ndolo airport (about 15 minutes from downtown
Kinshasa), with another unit stationed at Ndjili airport
(about 45 minutes from downtown Kinshasa) to assist with
logistics.

3. (SBU) In response to specific questions from the press,
both Ajello and Viereck noted that EUFOR was the 4th-tier
response unit, following (in order) the Congolese National
Police, then specially-trained FARDC units (such as the
integrated brigades), then MONUC. Both also emphasized that
EUFOR's presence did not represent any failures by MONUC, but
instead demonstrated the EU's commitment to the DRC's -- and
ultimately Africa's -- success in emerging from conflict and
moving towards stability. Several reporters questioned when
and in what circumstances EUFOR troops might be deployed to
other areas, such as eastern Congo or Katanga province.
Ajello and Viereck repeated that the troops would be deployed
in Kinshasa and that the mission was designed as support of
MONUC, and not as an alternative or a replacement for the
MONUC presence. The EUFOR representatives insisted that they
were not here to evacuate Europeans or expatriates -- despite
comments to the contrary recently published in the German
press.

4. (SBU) During a separate briefing provided to CIAT members
on June 22, Vierek confirmed that EUFOR would not be sending
out street patrols, since the operation does not have a
mandate for providing day-to-day security. However, Vierek
indicated that EUFOR members will be visible throughout the
Kinshasa area due to their efforts to familiarize themselves
with the city and to participate in selected humanitarian
projects. During the same briefing, Viereck reported that
EUFOR will be prepared to rescue people who experience
trouble in the course and scope of their election activities,
with the rescue mandate limited to neither European citizens
nor the Kinshasa area. In fact, if a CEI official or
elections observer was seized or surrounded, even in an
outlying area, EUFOR would apparently consider it within its
mandate to rescue the individual -- with the usual provisos
of coordination with Congolese authorities and MONUC.

5. (SBU) Comment. The emphasis on the limitations of the
mission may reflect German angst that German troops are in
the DRC at all. In addition, the representatives seemed to
be deliberately lowering expectations as to what EUFOR could
actually accomplish here, given that forces will only be
present in the Kinshasa area. It is likely that EUFOR's
greatest value is, as alluded in the press conference,
symbolic -- a visible reminder that the EU wants to help the
Congolese help themselves to maintain equilibrium during
elections. End comment.
MEECE

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