Press conference with President Paul Kagame (unofficial transcript)
Press events | Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General
SG: Thank you very much Mr President. As you've heard from the President, we've gone over a number of issues today and of course I was able also to share with him my own appreciation and assessment of the desire of peace or the progress that I see we are making in the application of the Lusaka Accords and the determination of the international community to work with the leaders in this region to move the process forward. We discussed issues of economic development and what the international community and the UN can do, particularly at this crucial stage of reconstruction, reconciliation and rehabilitation. We also discussed the issue of AIDS and the need for leadership and sustained efforts to be able to defeat that scourge and the international efforts that have been made to assist countries in the developing world in the search for vaccines and cure which of course we don't have yet. But we both agreed that the resources are there to assist in the fight against AIDS. What we need to mobilise is the will to do so and we will continue that fight. Thank you, we'll take your questions.
Q: President Kagame, could I have your reaction to yesterday's announcement by Kinshasa that they've rounded up about 3,000 Rwandan rebels?
President Kagame: I think that, if it's true, that's a step in the right direction and that's quite useful in helping us advance the peace process in the Congo. That's extremely useful if it's found to be true and if we can build on that and do the rest that remains to be done in concluding the peace process.
SG: I indicated that, on that one, the UN observers will be given access to the three thousand men and of course with them working with our other UN colleagues make a determination as to who they are, which ones want to come back, and co-ordinate with the Government for their return. And of course we will need to do their screening and the assessment on the ground. I agree with the President that this is a step in the right direction. The mood is much more hopeful but there are still lots and lots of difficult tasks ahead so we should not relax and we need to persevere.
Q: Mr Secretary-General, I am Safari Gaspard from the New Times. There are reports that you met and held talks with Alexi Nshibiyimana, a man with a genocide record - Alexi Nshibiyimana, a man with a genocide record in this country - and I would like to know how true this is, and if it is, whether you had prior information that he had that record.
SG:I did not meet him. I had no meeting with any of them in Kinshasa, I know they said I met them in Kinshasa. I had no such a meeting.
Q: Mr President, I'm coming from German television. You were the military leader who ended the genocide, so you know what is the war now also for the population in the Congo. How strong is your feeling, because you know the suffering of your people, and you can imagine the suffering of the people on the market place, how they suffer. You the African leaders, how long will it take - three million in the Congo war, when will it be ended?
President: That's one very strong reason why we strongly support the peace process in the Congo. And as you are aware, if you know the history of the Congo, it is a long history with such a turbulence, coming to the point where we had this situation to do with genocidal forces in the Congo, pursing them there and all sorts of things, we returned millions of refugees back to Rwanda. The point is now, we're involved in a peace process, and we fully support it, we fully support the peace process. We've only being demanding one small thing, and I'm sure that is also being addressed in what we have just heard, that the three thousand people who are being collected in Kamina and so forth, that's why I'm saying it was a step in the right direction. It's an urgent thing to sort out this problem, and that's the way we look at it in Rwanda. We don't have every say in every problem, but we can make our modest contribution to make sure the peace process is advanced, and we're ready to do that. We've been pulling out our forces from the Congo, and returning them here; we've withdrawn back our forces, but we've been also demanding that this threat against our country be addressed, and those to address that are many, there are many parties involved to that problem and we can only work within the framework of the Lusaka peace process, and we fully support that. The sooner we can resolve the problem the better for everyone.
Q: Mr President, do you feel there is any room for dialogue between the Rwanda government and Interahamwe?
President: We've been first of all open about people coming back home, and whatever dialogue people need here in the country, we shall go along with that dialogue. We've been encouraging that, that's why if you've seen what we've been doing in the past, returning nearly two million people back to Rwanda, among them ex-FAR militias and so on and so forth, and the current political processes we're carrying out in the country, this definitely goes in the direction of dialogue, but for people to use other problems like the one we're trying to handle in the Congo, and take advantage of that, even when their background suggests they should be elsewhere, some of them actually should be answering charges with the Tribunal, in Arusha and justice here in Rwanda. So we have to make a distinction between what should be carried out as dialogue, political dialogue, internally to resolve whatever remains as problems in out country, to be able to move forward on different issues, and then having some of these groups there making false claims.
Q (in French): Monsieur le SecrTtaire GTnTral est-ce que vous ne pensez pas que l'armTe rwandaise, qui a suffit la gTnocide doit avoir un prix parce que l'ONU n'a pas pu ...
SG: Je ne crois pas que le monde marche de cette faton. Je crois que les Nations Unies ont Ttabli un Tribunal que est en train de juger les dirigeants et les gens qui ont commis ces crimes. Le Gouvernement rwandais a son propre Tribunal qui fait son travail aussi. Donc je crois que c'est de cette faton ... Je ne crois pas qu'on peut demander aux Nations Unies de payer un prix, de payer quoique ce soit pour ta. Evidemment, il y a d'autres moyens de coopTrer et travailler ensemble. Et j'espFre qu'on pourra le faire.
Q: Mr Annan, you're coming from Durban before this trip, and we heard today that the Israelis and the Americans have withdrawn from the conference there. What is your reaction to that?
SG: I have just heard that the Americans have withdrawn. I think it is unfortunate. I consider it regrettable because I would have likes to see them there. The question of racism, xenophobia and intolerance is something that all societies live with and should fight against it. It's an issue that demands action from all of us. It is an issue that is being discussed by member states and obviously they have different views and different standards. But the objective of the conference is to focus on the victims, to try and come up with a declaration and a plan of action where when each government goes home, they can use that plan to formulate their own national plan to fight racism. In this circumstances, on expects every country to be at the table to fight for what they believe in and to make their case. I don't think any attempt should be made to pick on one country or one region because as I said, we are all guilty of it and we all need to take measures to tackle it and I would have preferred that the US was there to fight with the others for the right solution, the right result and the right language. I regret their decision to withdraw. Thank you. *****