PRESS CONFERENCE BY MISSION OF RWANDA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MISSION OF RWANDA

Allegations of Rwandan collaboration with the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) were merely hearsay generated by those interested in distorting the facts for their own reasons, Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

Joseph Mutaboba said the recent report by the Expert Panel on Sanctions against UNITA did not reflect information and explanations given to the Panel during its visit to Kigali. The report accused Rwanda of cooperating militarily with UNITA, arranging diamond sales for the rebel movement and facilitating its meetings with arms brokers.

Responding to a correspondent's question about international criticism of Rwanda, he said that the report was part of a pattern of efforts to discredit his country's Government and leadership. A newspaper article implicating Vice- President Paul Kagame in the downing of an aircraft shot down in 1994 and killing the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi fit the same pattern.

Mr. Mutaboba said he had been unable to obtain a copy of the United Nations report cited as the source for that newspaper article. The confusion over the report's existence might or might not be deliberate. Such disinformation fit the same pattern and was the work of revisionists supporting and harbouring genocide criminals.

He said the revisionists were the ideologues of genocide, those who had committed genocide, and those assisting the other two groups. They claimed that genocide had not taken place in Rwanda or that there had been a double genocide. Many such people were still at large in several countries, including the United States, Canada, France, Belgium and elsewhere.

Categorically denying any military cooperation with UNITA, Mr. Mutaboba said that Rwanda's use of Angolan territory to evacuate its troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1998 did not necessarily signify a pact with UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. Angola was aware of the military rescue operation. Nobody had made contact with Mr. Savimbi or any other rebel official.

He said there was no truth in the allegations that Rwanda had allowed UNITA a free hand in Kigali to arrange diamond sales. Also, individuals mentioned in the report had no business contacts with Rwandan authorities. The Panel owed the Security Council better investigations, instead of citing a simplistic "Mobutu versus Kabila" factor for Rwanda's alleged dealings with UNITA.

The burden of proof fell on the Panel to substantiate the report's allegations to the Security Council and to the countries mentioned in it, he said. Rwanda, like any other Members of the United Nations, should be allowed to work on its continued support for sanctions against UNITA and for whatever

Rwanda Press Conference - 2 - 17 March 2000

was required to bring about peace and security in Angola, the region and Africa in general. The Angolan people had suffered enough.

A correspondent asked whether Rwanda was denying absolutely that arms and diamond dealers were operating in the country or whether the Government was merely unaware of their presence.

Mr. Mutaboba said traders might have been in Rwanda much as other traders operated in countries all over the world. However, it was totally wrong to say they had the backing and protection of the authorities. If the Panel could pinpoint who the dealers had met with and who was protecting them, they would be arrested immediately.

Asked by another journalist whether the Rwandan Government would have access to the evidence given by the Expert Panel to the Security Council, the Permanent Representative said neither he nor the Government in Kigali had received any evidence at all.

Another correspondent asked whether it would not suit Kigali to cooperate with UNITA since Rwanda and Angola were on opposite sides in the Congolese conflict.

Mr. Mutaboba said that was not in his country's interest. Rwanda had no common borders with Angola, Namibia or Zimbabwe.

* *** *