The Minister of State Security Nicholas Goche told United States embassy officials that he did not know who was calling the shots in the Democratic Republic of Congo but he believed it was the Congolese people.
He was briefing the officials on situation in the DRC following the assassination of its president Laurent Kabila who had since been replaced by his son, Joseph.
Goche said Zimbabwe was committed to abiding by the Lusaka Peace process and wanted to give the new president Joseph Kabila time to stabilise the situation in Kinshasa.
He however believed that Uganda did not share the allies’ desire for peace. It was more interested in overthrowing the Kabila government.
Zimbabwe wanted Kabila to firmly establish his authority so that whatever agreement he reached with his opponents would last.
When asked if the Angolans were calling the shots in Kinshasa, Goche said that he did not think they were, but he did not really know who was calling the shots, but it had to be the Congolese people.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE618, ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
011307Z Feb 01
SECRET PTQ9450
PAGE 01 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 MFA-01 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 USNW-00
DODE-00 DOTE-00 DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00
TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 PM-00 IRM-00
SSO-00 SS-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00
/004W
——————BEFE31 011309Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8161
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RWANDA COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000618
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/11
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MOPS ZI CG
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC
SITUATION
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: MINISTER OF STATE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
NICHOLAS GOCHE TOLD CHARGE FEBRUARY 1 THAT ZIMBABWE IS
COMMITTED TO THE LUSAKA PEACE PROCESS AND URGED THE US
SECRET
PAGE 02 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z
TO CONTINUE PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN RESOLVING THE
DRC WAR. ZIMBABWE WANTS TO GIVE NEW DRC PRESIDENT
JOSEPH KABILA TIME TO STABILIZE THE SITUATION IN
KINSHASA, ACCORDING TO GOCHE. ZIMBABWE DOES NOT KNOW
WHETHER KABILA IS A TEMPORARY FIGURE OR NOT, AND IT DOES
NOT REALLY KNOW WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS IN KINSHASA,
GOCHE ADMITTED. GOCHE’S REMARKS REINFORCED OUR
ASSESSMENT THAT ZIMBABWE IS BIDING ITS TIME IN THE DRC
UNTIL IT CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT, IF
ANYTHING, IT CAN DO ABOUT IT. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (S) ON FEBRUARY 1, CHARGE, ACCOMPANIED BY ROAL CHIEF
AND POLOFF (NOTETAKER), CALLED ON MINISTER OF STATE FOR
NATIONAL SECURITY NICHOLAS GOCHE, WHO IS ONE OF THE KEY
FIGURES DIRECTING ZIMBABWE’S EFFORT IN THE DRC. GOCHE
NOTED THAT HE HAS MOSTLY RECOVERED FROM SERIOUS INJURIES
SUSTAINED IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN OCTOBER, BUT WAS STILL
EXPERIENCING SOME PAIN AND DISCOMFORT WITH HIS LEFT LEG.
HE SAID HIS INJURIES HAD NOT REQUIRED SURGERY.
¶3. (C) CHARGE ASKED GOCHE FOR HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE DRC
SITUATION FOLLOWING LAURENT KABILA’S ASSASSINATION AND
ZIMBABWE’S NEXT STEPS. GOCHE STATED THAT THE DRC ALLIES
ARE COMMITTED TO PEACE AND THE LUSAKA ACCORDS. LUSAKA
IS THE ONLY FRAMEWORK UNDER WHICH ZIMBABWE AND THE OTHER
PLAYERS CAN WITHDRAW THEIR FORCES. ZIMBABWE WANTS A
ROLE IN THE NEW DISPENSATION IN KINSHASA TO ENSURE THAT
ITS GOALS FOR PEACE ARE REALIZED, GOCHE CONTINUED, BUT
IT CANNOT ACT ALONE. IT NEEDS THE OTHER PLAYERS. GOCHE
EXPRESSED THE BELIEF THAT UGANDA DOES NOT SHARE THE
ALLIES’ DESIRE FOR PEACE, AND THAT IT IS MORE INTERESTED
SECRET
PAGE 03 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z
IN OVERTHROWING THE KABILA GOVERNMENT. THE MINISTER
MENTIONED THAT RWANDAN PRESIDENT KAGAME HAD ATTEMPTED TO
CONTACT PRESIDENT MUGABE, BUT HE DID NOT KNOW IF THAT
CONVERSATION HAD TAKEN PLACE YET. AS FOR THE NON-STATE
ACTORS SUCH AS THE INTERAHAMWE, THE MINISTER STATED THAT
THEY NEED TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, BUT THAT THEY
SHOULD NOT BE A HINDRANCE TO THE PEACE PROCESS.
¶4. (C) ZIMBABWE WANTS TO GIVE KABILA TIME TO STABILIZE
THE SITUATION IN KINSHASA, THE MINISTER PROFESSED. IT
WANTS KABILA TO FIRMLY ESTABLISH HIS AUTHORITY SO THAT
WHATEVER AGREEMENT HE REACHES WITH HIS OPPONENTS WILL
LAST. BUT ZIMBABWE DOES WANT HIM TO NEGOTIATE WITH BOTH
HIS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FOES. GOCHE BELIEVES THAT
JOSEPH KABILA IS MORE FLEXIBLE THAN HIS FATHER WAS.
DESPITE THIS, THE GOZ DOES NOT KNOW IF KABILA WILL BE A
TEMPORARY FIGURE OR NOT–THE DUST HAS NOT QUITE SETTLED
FROM HIS FATHER’S KILLING. GOCHE QUICKLY CORRECTED
HIMSELF AND SAID THAT AGREEMENTS INTO WHICH THE NEW
CONGOLESE PRESIDENT ENTERED WOULD BE HONORED. KABILA
NEEDS MORE FRIENDS THAN HIS FATHER HAD, AND IT IS
IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO BE MORE OPEN AND TO ARTICULATE HIS
POLICIES MORE CLEARLY, THE SECURITY MINISTER OFFERED.
WHEN ASKED IF THE ANGOLANS WERE CALLING THE SHOTS IN
KINSHASA, GOCHE SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THEY WERE,
BUT HE DID NOT REALLY KNOW WHO WAS CALLING THE SHOTS,
BUT IT SHOULD BE THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE.
¶5. (C) GOCHE NOTED THAT IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT KABILA
FELT SECURE ENOUGH TO GO TO THE UNITED STATES SO SOON
AFTER HIS INAUGURATION. ZIMBABWE IS “HAPPY” THAT KABILA
SECRET
PAGE 04 HARARE 00618 01 OF 02 011309Z
IS VISITING WASHINGTON, AND GOCHE URGED THE U.S. TO
CONTINUE PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN RESOLVING THE
DRC CRISIS. THE DRC WILL ALSO NEED A HUGE AMOUNT OF AID
TO REBUILD, AND GOCHE ENCOURAGED THE U.S. TO CONTRIBUTE
SUBSTANTIALLY TO THIS EFFORT. HE BELIEVES IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT THE U.S. REMAIN “UNBIASED” IN ITS
DIALOGUE WITH THE DRC PLAYERS. FURTHERMORE, THE U.S.
SHOULD NOT BE RELUCTANT TO PERSUADE THE UN TO FULLY
DEPLOY MONUC. WHEN ASKED IF ALLIED FORCES WERE
REGROUPING NEAR PWETO, GOCHE STATED THAT IT WAS NOT
TRUE, AND THAT IF THE ALLIES HAD WANTED TO RETAKE PWETO,
THEY WOULD HAVE DONE SO WITH EASE BY NOW.
¶6. (C) COMMENT: DESPITE HIS POSITION AS ONE OF THE KEY
ZIMBABWEAN FIGURES ON DRC POLICY, MINISTER GOCHE WAS NOT
PARTICULARLY FORTHCOMING AND STUCK TO THE STANDARD GOZ
LINE ON THE DRC. HIS COMMENTS REINFORCE OUR ASSESSMENT
THAT ZIMBABWE IS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE INTERNAL
DRC POLITICAL SITUATION AND WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN STILL
INFLUENCE EVENTS IN KINSHASA. GOCHE’S ATYPICALLY STRONG
URGING OF GREATER U.S. INVOLVEMENT SIGNALS TO US THAT
THE GOZ IS MORE KEEN THAN EVER FOR A RESOLUTION THAT
WOULD PERMIT IT TO BRING BACK THE BULK OF ITS DRC FORCES
SECRET
SECRET PTQ9449
PAGE 01 HARARE 00618 02 OF 02 011309Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 MFA-01 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00
DOTE-00 DS-00 EB-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00
INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 PM-00 SSO-00 SS-00 PMB-00
DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W
——————BEFE33 011309Z /38
O 011307Z FEB 01
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8162
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RWANDA COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
S E C R E T SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000618
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/11
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MOPS ZI CG
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC
SITUATION
BEFORE THE EARLY 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. END
COMMENT.
IRVING
SECRET
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