Source: Voice of America
TITLE=ZAIRE / ALLEGATIONS
VOA News Report
DATE=3/21/97
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-36011
BYLINE=WILLIAM EAGLE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: SEVERAL BELGIAN NEWSPAPERS SAY THE UNITED STATES IS
WORKING TO PROVIDE COVERT SUPPORT TO ZAIREAN REBELS LED BY
LAURENT KABILA. THE PAPERS SAY THE U-S IS COOPERATING WITH A
WELL-KNOWN HUMANITARIAN AGENCY, THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE
COMMITTEE. BOTH THE U-S GOVERNMENT AND THE I-R-C DENY THE
CHARGE. FROM WASHINGTON, WILLIAM EAGLE REPORTS.
TEXT: THE ALLEGATIONS HAVE MADE THE HEADLINES IN SEVERAL BELGIAN
NEWSPAPERS, INCLUDING THE DUTCH-LANGUAGE "ANTWERP GAZETTE" AND
"DE STANDAARD." THE PAPERS QUOTE ANONYMOUS DIPLOMATS AND OTHER
SOURCES AS SAYING THE UNITED STATES IS PROVIDING LOGISTICAL
SUPPORT TO ZAIRE'S REBELS. BELGIAN OBSERVERS SAY IF THAT WERE
TRUE, IT WOULD BE A SERIOUS FOREIGN POLICY BREACH WITH THE UNITED
STATES' EUROPEAN ALLIES. MANY OF THEM ARE WORKING WITH THE
UNITED STATES TO COMMIT THE REBELS TO NEGOTIATIONS AND A
CEASEFIRE WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT MOBUTU SESE SEKO.
FELIP REYNTJENS [FEH-LEEP' RENT'-JENS] IS A PROFESSOR OF AFRICAN
LAW AND POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ANTWERP. HE SAYS HE'S
RECEIVED WORD FROM RELIABLE SOURCES IN BUKAVU, ZAIRE, SUPPORTING
THE BELGIAN PRESS ALLEGATIONS.
SPECIFICALLY, THE CHARGES INVOLVE THE RECRUITMENT OF ANGOLA-BASED
REBELS CALLED THE "KATANGAN GENDARMES." THEY PATTERN THEMSELVES
AFTER REBELS OF THE SAME NAME WHO FOUGHT FOR THE SECESSION OF
ZAIRE'S MINERAL RICH KATANGA -- NOW CALLED SHABA -- PROVINCE IN
THE 1960'S AND 1970'S.
// REYNTJENS ACT //
AS FOR MY INFORMATION I HAVE RECEIVED, FROM WHAT I
CONSIDER TO BE A RELIABLE SOURCE IN BUKAVU, ABOUT 1500
KATANGAN GENDARMES HAVE BEEN AIRLIFTED TO BUKAVU [AND
GOMA] BY AMERICAN AIRPLANES. ON TOP OF THAT, A
SO-CALLED -- BUT NOT REALLY -- HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION
CALLED THE "INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE" IS ACTUALLY
ENGAGED IN MILITARY OPERATIONS AND MILITARY SUPPORT
OPERATIONS SIDING WITH REBELS IN EASTERN ZAIRE.
// END ACT //
SPECIFICALLY, THE BELGIAN PRESS -- AND PROFESSOR REYNTJENS'
SOURCE -- SAY THE I-R-C IS PROVIDING AND SERVICING ANTI-AIRCRAFT
ARTILLERY THAT IT HELPED INSTALL IN BUKAVU. (OPT) THE ANTWERP
GAZETTE GOES ON TO SAY THAT THE I-R-C CONSISTS OF UP TO 90
PERCENT AMERICANS -- MOST OF THEM U-S MILITARY PERSONNEL WITH
LARGE FINANCIAL AND LOGISTICAL RESOURCES. THE PAPER QUOTES
BELGIAN GOVERNMENT SOURCES AS SAYING THEY HAVE ALSO SEEN AMERICAN
MILITARY PERSONNEL IN EASTERN ZAIRE. (END OPT)
PROFESSOR REYNTJENS SAYS IF THIS WERE TRUE, IT WOULD INDICATE
CONTRADICTIONS IN U-S AFRICA POLICY. OR, HE SAYS OTHER AMERICAN
INSTITUTIONS -- LIKE THE C-I-A OR THE PENTAGON -- COULD BE
WORKING AGAINST STATE DEPARTMENT POLICY -- BY ORGANIZING COVERT
OPERATIONS.
BUT BOTH THE U-S GOVERNMENT -- AND THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE
COMMISSION -- DENY THE CHARGES.
A U-S STATE DEPARTMENT SOURCE TOLD V-O-A THE ALLEGATIONS ARE
"ABSOLUTELY PATENTLY FALSE" AND CALLED THEM "A FABRICATION." THE
SOURCE SAID IT IS U-S POLICY TO ENCOURAGE THE REBELS TO
NEGOTIATE. (OPT) IN FACT, THE SOURCE SAYS THE UNITED STATES
TRIED TO CONVINCE THE REBELS NOT TO TAKE THE TOWN OF KISANGANI
LAST WEEK -- BUT TO NO AVAIL. (END OPT) AND HE DENIED THAT ANY
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT INSTITUTION IS CONDUCTING COVERT OPERATIONS
IN ZAIRE.
THIS WEEK STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN NICHOLAS BURNS ALSO
REITERATED [THURSDAY] THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON ZAIRE.
// BURNS ACT //
THE U-S SUPPORTS THE CEASEFIRE PROPOSALS OF THE UNITED
NATIONS AND OF THE [ORGANIZATION FOR AFRICAN UNITY].
AND WE ALSO SUPPORT POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS THAT WOULD
LEAD THE COUNTRY INTERNALLY, POLITICALLY, TO GREATER
REFORM AND ULTIMATELY TOWARD ELECTIONS. WE BELIEVE
ZAIRE HAS SUFFERED FROM A LACK OF REFORM AND OF THE
ELECTORAL PROCESS -- DEMOCRACY -- FOR MANY YEARS.
// END ACT //
(OPT) NICHOLAS BURNS SAYS THE UNITED STATES AGREES WITH THE GOALS
ADVOCATED BY THE AFRICAN LEADERS AT THIS WEEK'S NAIROBI
CONFERENCE: A CEASEFIRE, NEGOTIATIONS, HUMANITARIAN ACCESS TO
REFUGEES, AND CONTINUED EFFORTS OF AFRICAN STATES TO RESOLVE THE
CRISIS. (END OPT)
(OPT) MR. BURNS ALSO SAID THE UNITED STATES WILL RESPOND
POSITIVELY TO AN APPEAL BY THE U-N FOR HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO
REFUGEES IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION OF AFRICA. HE SAID THE UNITED
STATES HAS ANSWERED PREVIOUS APPEALS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS --
WITH GRANTS OF OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS. (END OPT)
NICHOLAS BURNS TOLD REPORTERS THE UNITED STATES' "MAJOR
DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS" ARE WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ZAIRE. HOWEVER,
HE SAYS AMERICAN OFFICIALS HAVE ON OCCASION HAD CONTACTS WITH
REBEL LEADER LAURENT KABILA.
// BURNS ACT //
I WOULD NOT DESCRIBE THEM AS "MID-LEVEL" BUT "SENIOR"
PEOPLE WHO WERE TRAVELING IN AFRICA, AND WHO HAVE AN
INTEREST IN TRYING TO WORK OUT AN AGREEMENT THAT THERE
SHOULD BE A CEASEFIRE. YOU REMEMBER, THE SOUTH AFRICAN
GOVERNMENT TOOK THE LEAD [IN RECENT ZAIRE PEACE TALKS],
AND THE U-S ASSISTED. SO, THERE HAVE BEEN [U-S-REBEL]
CONTACTS. BUT I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE VERY IMPORTANT
POINT: WE DEFEND IN PRINCIPLE THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
OF ZAIRE AND ITS SOVEREIGNTY. WE DO NOT ENCOURAGE MR.
KABILA AT ALL TO CONTINUE HIS WARFARE. WE ENCOURAGE HIM
TO AGREE TO A CEASEFIRE AND TO TALKS WITH THE
GOVERNMENT.
(OPT) ...[WE BELIEVE] PRIME MINISTER KENGO [WA DONDO]
IS THE PRIME MINISTER OF ZAIRE. WE ARE TREATING HIM AS
SUCH AND ARE WORKING WITH HIM AS SUCH. AND UNTIL THE
CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARS IN ZAIRE OR THE POLITICIANS CAN
SORT THEMSELVES OUT [OR TELL US OTHERWISE]... WE WILL
CONTINUE TO TREAT PRIME MINISTER KENGO AS THE LEADING
OFFICIAL IN ZAIRE. (END OPT)
// END ACT //
THE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMISSION HAS ALSO DENIED THE BELGIAN
PRESS ALLEGATIONS.
GERALD MARTONE IS THE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK. HE SAYS THE I-R-C
ONLY PROVIDES WAY STATIONS FOR REFUGEES WHO DECIDE TO RETURN TO
RWANDA. HE SAYS THE I-R-C IS BASED IN BUKAVU -- AND OPERATES
WITHIN A RADIUS OF 50 KILOMETERS OF THE TOWN. AMONG THE SERVICES
IT PROVIDES ARE HEALTH CARE AND MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS -- (OPT)
SUCH AS EMERGENCY HYDRATION OF SALTS AND HIGH ENERGY BISCUITS AND
BINDING WOUNDS FOR THE TRIP BACK TO RWANDA. HE SAYS THE I-R-C
ALSO HELPS IN THE REPAIR OF HOSPITALS AND CLINICS DAMAGED BY
FIGHTING. (END OPT) HE SAYS THE BELGIAN NEWSPAPER ALLEGATIONS
ARE NOT TRUE:
// MARTONE ACT //
IT'S AN UNFORTUNATE PIECE OF MISINFORMATION, AND
CERTAINLY CONSISTENT WITH A LOT OF THE MISINFORMATION
AND ATTEMPTS TO CONFUSE AND DEMORALIZE PEOPLE DURING THE
CIVIL WAR IN EASTERN ZAIRE. THERE IS SOMEWHAT OF AN
INFORMATION DEFICIT AND WHAT OFTEN FILLS THAT VOID IS
EXAGGERATED RUMORS LIKE THIS ONE.
// END ACT //
(OPT) MR. MARTONE SAYS THE I-R-C'S BUKAVU OFFICE IS STAFFED
LARGELY BY ZAIREANS. HE SAYS THERE ARE ONLY SIX NON-ZAIREAN
STAFF MEMBERS, INCLUDING FOUR AMERICANS IN BUKAVU. (END OPT)
MR. MARTONE DENIED THAT HIS GROUP IS INFILTRATED BY ANY FOREIGN
FORCES. HE REITERATED THAT THE I-R-C IS A PRIVATE VOLUNTARY
ORGANIZATION -- WITH NO CONNECTIONS TO ANY GOVERNMENT. (SIGNED)
NEB/WE/KL
21-Mar-97 2:28 PM EST (1928 UTC)
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