Cablegate: Update On Drc Suit Against Uganda and Rwanda In

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS KINSHASA 001850

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL CG RW UG
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DRC SUIT AGAINST UGANDA AND RWANDA IN
THE ICJ

1. (SBU) The GDROC filed suit in the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) in 1998 against both Rwanda and Uganda,
demanding compensation for those two countries' military and
economic interference in the eastern part of the Congo (North
and South Kivu Provinces and Oriental Province,
respectively). Rwanda has chosen to ignore the suit, but the
Ugandan government acknowledged it. As recently as February
2004, Uganda asked the DRC to drop the suit in favor of
diplomatic negotiations to establish some form of
compensation. Local press articles October 2 and 4 noted
that this issue apparently is again active, although the
articles confined themselves to reiterating the history of
how the suit came to be filed.

2. (SBU) PolCouns spoke October 2 with officials at the
Ministry of Justice and in the Presidency, who said that the
GDROC has just decided to apply to the ICJ to temporarily
suspend (not/not drop) the suit, in order to facilitate
compensation negotiations with Uganda. The Ministry official
indicated that the suspension requested is for 90 days,
although he wasn't sure if the ICJ authorized such short
suspensions.

3. (SBU) Comment: A successful Uganda-Congo settlement of
this issue may increase pressure on Rwanda to likewise try to
reach a settlement, although, given that Rwanda has not even
acknowledged the ICJ jurisdiction, such a settlement remains
highly unlikely.
MEECE

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