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RALLY FOR THE RETURN OF | |
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4, RUE A. CLUYSENAAR 1060 BRUXELLES BELGIQUE Tél: 32-2-5348035 Fax: 32-2-5348053 |
7, RESIDENCE MONTESQUIEU 49000 ANGERS FRANCE Tél/Fax: 33-41489987 |
May 29,1996
PRESS RELEASE Nº73
President Carter missed the point: the demilitarised zone should be in Rwanda and not in Zaire.
After the latest round of talks with President Mobutu of Zaire, whose agenda was the repatriation of refugees, President Carter suggested a demilitarisation of the Eastern Zaire, as a measure of speeding up the repatriation.
By doing so, Mr Carter is insinuating that the cause behind the slow repatriation of refugees is in asylum countries and not in Rwanda.
The suggestion of President Carter comes only a few days after the UNHCR acknowledged publicly and for the first time during the latest Geneva tripartite meeting( Rwanda, Zaire and UNHCR ) held on May 24, 1996,that on top of the fictitious issue of intimidation, there were political obstacles in Rwanda that have to be removed first before refugees can return voluntarily.
Unless President Carter has got a hidden agenda, the demilitarisation of the Eastern Zaire will not change anything at all to the present refugee deadlock.
The problem being in Rwanda and not in Zaire, the demilitarised zone should be created in Rwanda itself as a first step towards initiating a wider package of measures leading to a fundamental reform of the current political set up that has to rely on repression for its own survival.
Indeed, the ongoing repression has brought to light the obvious reality that RPF is not a viable solution to the rwandan conflict.
If President genuinely wants to play a role of an honest broker in the rwandan crisis, he is well advised to avoid positions that could undermine his credibility as a neutral mediator.
For RDR
Chris Nzabandora
Signed
Director of Information