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.