FBIS4-42593 "drweu108_i_94001"
FBIS-WEU-94-108 Daily Report 3 Jun 1994
FRANCE

Roussin Insists on Joint Action for Rwanda

Roussin Insists on Joint Action for Rwanda BR0306135794 Paris LE FIGARO in French 3 Jun 94 p 6 BR0306135794 Paris LE FIGARO French BFN [Commentary by Development Minister Michel Roussin: "France and Rwanda: Putting an End to Unfair Accusations"] [Text] A vast manhunt has caused destruction and bloodshed in Rwanda. This is a daily horror story for hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children who are hounded, mutilated, and murdered. Faced with such a tragedy, how can we fail to feel terror, astonishment, and indignation? A feeling of impotence overcomes us, given the scale of this tragedy. There is only one certainty: The international community has a duty to show solidarity with Rwanda. France -- as it has demonstrated -- is not shirking its responsibilities. But it cannot act alone. 1. Many French people discovered, through this tragedy, how close the links were between France and Rwanda. Some turned them into a caricature and only remembered support deemed to be excessive for a regime which was nonetheless changing. Franco-Rwandan cooperation is different from that: It is primarily aid to the population of the order of 100 million francs [Fr] in 1992 in sectors as varied as coffee, rice, and forestry. It is also the presence of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and local French communities. In 1993 France, together with Belgium, was Rwanda's main partner. But there were many countries cooperating with this country: Germany, the United States, Switzerland, and Canada. It is precisely because France was a major partner that it became involved in the changes in that country. On 1 October 1990, armed elements of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) -- who had, it will be remembered, come from Uganda -- entered Rwanda. The discussions which opened between the Rwandan Government and the RPF led to the signing of a peace agreement in Arusha on 4 August 1993. These agreements, concluded with the support of various countries in the region and of the whole international community, were implemented by President Habyarimana. They led to a process of political openness which was unprecedented in Rwanda's history: Recognition of 14 political parties, revision of the Constitution, then liberalization of the press, a transitional government with an expanded base, in other words expanded to include the Tutsi minority which obtained five out of 21 ministries, and the creation of a new national army. The RPF expressed "its most sincere thanks for the role of observer in our negotiations played by France." 2. The murder of President Habyarimana suddenly interrupted this change. What was to be done then?
The Security of French People
Faced with the rapidly developing insecurity, the French Government's first duty was to ensure the safety of its nationals. Would anybody have understood it if we had left our 600 fellow citizens in Rwanda in the middle of the massacres? The risks were real: Three Frenchmen were killed shortly after the events started. We also brought home 900 other threatened individuals, including those Rwandan employees of the cooperation services who wished to leave. The family of the murdered president was also evacuated. It is strange to say that France should be criticized for acting in this way: Other countries may have felt it right to abandon the families of the leaders with whom they had hitherto maintained normal relations. Doing likewise would have condemned them to death. Our traditions are different. The comparison between the welcome given to President Habyarimana's family and aid for the Rwandan population is pointless, as the figures show. This immediate action by France to help its nationals was immediately accompanied by humanitarian aid for the Rwandan population. This aid is the biggest contribution from the international community. Having said that, there are still vast requirements which must be satisfied. It is our duty not to remain inactive. Health Minister Douste-Blazy has gone to the region, to Burundi and Tanzania where more than 300,000 people have taken refuge. That visit made it possible to identify the needs and respond to them without delay: dispatch of trucks, and water purification equipment. Humanitarian aid is certainly not a substitute for political action. But, it must be remembered that there cannot be a military solution to the Rwandan tragedy. Only negotiation on the basis of the Arusha agreements will make it possible to establish a lasting peace and to overcome the hatred in time. 3. This is why everybody must now shoulder his responsibilities to ensure that solidarity with Rwanda is more than just a slogan: * The Rwandans first: Without a minimum of agreement among the parties, a UN intervention is doomed to failure. Rwanda must want to live at peace with itself. It has shown in its recent history, between 1990 and 1993, that violence can break out there suddenly and brutally. It is not to "ethnicize" the conflict to recall its historical antecedents: the existence of a Tutsi dynasty, the 1959 revolution, the social and economic issues of the interethnic rivalry, the displacement of populations (130,000 Tutsi exiles back in 1963). The ethnic rationale is still relevant. Only its gradual elimination will enable this country to live in peace. * The Africans must mobilize. The Arusha agreements were concluded thanks to the aid of Rwanda's neighbors.
Judging Those Responsible
Today, Africa remains silent about the biggest human disaster of the end of this century. No stance has been taken, no condemnation has been made, there has been no public protest. The political leaders, the intellectuals, the African citizens seem to be paralyzed. How can we explain this astonishing silence in face of a tragedy taking place on their doorstep? Africa must react in order to end this suffering. * The international community also delayed a long time in taking any initiatives. France, convinced of the need for diplomatic action, has used all its influence in the Security Council to ensure that the United Nations shoulders its responsibilities. It is prepared to help the African countries which want to place contingents at the disposal of the United Nations. France is prepared to do anything useful to speed up the deployment of this force or its strengthening. I hope that our other partners will do likewise. Finally, France has asked the UN Human Rights Commission to identify those responsible for this genocide and to judge and condemn them. Glimmers of hope are appearing. In Kigali, the blue helmets have succeeded in evacuating hundreds of civilians to safe areas. The RPF military officials and those of the Rwandan Army have opened preliminary discussions to reach a cease-fire. There is therefore no inevitability because the sides involved agree to negotiate. Africa and the international community must not show indifference. France, for its part, has not forgotten Rwanda.