88. Telegram From the Embassy in The Federal Republic of Germany to the Department of State1
9536. Subject: Meeting With Congolese Delegation on Normalization of Relations.
1. US and Congolese delegations met this morning at FRG Foreign Ministry and agreed to issue simultaneously in Brazzaville and Washington June 15 joint communique ending suspension of relations.
2. In discussions, which lasted one and a half hours, Ambassador Schaufele informed Congolese that there no preconditions to negotiations but raised following points: (1) protection of diplomats and mutual respect of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations; (2) compensation for US firms nationalized by Congolese Government; and (3) non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. Congolese agreed to all points and raised no substantive issue of their own. They agreed to draft communique presented by US side with only minor modifications.
3. Text of communique to be released simultaneously in both capitals June 15 follows:
[Page 262]Begin text
An American delegation led by the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, William E. Schaufele, Jr., and a Congolese delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Theophile Obenga, met in Bonn, the Federal Republic of Germany, on June 6, 1977. As a result of this meeting, the Governments of the United States of America and the People’s Republic of the Congo have agreed to put an end to the suspension of their diplomatic relations as of June 7, 1977, and to reopen their embassies in Brazzaville and Washington.
The two governments express their hope that this step will strengthen relations between their countries and contribute substantially to bettering their mutual understanding and cooperation based on the principles of reciprocal respect, sovereign equality, and non-interference in internal affairs. In this connection, the two governments reaffirm their adherence to the principles of international law, and, in particular, to the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
End text
4. In addition, two sides agreed to give statement to press which FRG Foreign Ministry will release today. Text follows.
Begin text
An American delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, William E. Schaufele, Jr., and a Congolese delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the People’s Republic of the Congo met June 6, 1977, in Bonn. The discussion took place in an atmosphere of frankness and mutual understanding.
The two delegations thank the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for its kind hospitality.
End text
5. Comment: Although they had no substantive points to raise Congolese evidently not willing to authorize release of joint communique ending suspension of diplomatic relations for two reasons:
1) They prefer it to emanate from Brazzaville and Washington rather than third capital;
2) The need for Obenga, although he did not say so directly, to associate his government and party leadership with text when he returns to Brazzaville.
6. Although in his remarks Obenga several times alluded to “economic, scientific and technological cooperation,” no direct statement about US assistance was made.
7. Later Germans told us that Congolese indicated they wanted first contacts with us to be political. Economic questions would be taken up later.
[Page 263]8. Further contacts, if necessary, can be made through Congolese Mission to UN, German Embassy in Brazzaville or American Embassy Kinshasa.2
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770201–0198. Confidential; Niact Immediate. Sent for information Priority to Kinshasa, Libreville, Brussels, and Paris.↩
- The United States and the People’s Republic of the Congo resumed diplomatic relations on October 31. In telegram 5 from Brazzaville, November 8, the Embassy transmitted the Congolese government’s official announcement. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D770412–0569)↩