• Kabuye arrest, regional security high on agenda

The arrest in Germany of the Director of State Protocol Rose Kabuye and the region’s security situation were high on the agenda when foreign affairs, justice and information ministers met foreign envoys yesterday afternoon.

In their initial statements, before the closed session resumed, the ministers once again expounded on the issues, even further stressing government’s condemnation of the fraudulent indictments by French and Spanish judges.

Starting off the briefing, at her ministry, Foreign Affairs minister Rosemary Museminali stressed that relations with Germany have not been totally severed.

"We don’t want to end relations. Both embassies remain open,” she said, explaining that government had recalled the Rwandan ambassador in Germany for consultations, and asked the Germany envoy to leave, particularly for two reasons.

She explained that this was meant to express government’s displeasure and also protest against what she said was the high handedness of the German government.

She also dismissed what she called distortions being spread by most international media and the government of Germany, reiterating that Kabuye was on official duty when arrested, unlike what the latter’s authorities say.

Karugarama explained that Kabuye was given the option of either contesting the charges in Germany or in France but opted for France where the problem emanates.

Kabuye is expected in France early next week and Karugarama, while challenging the legality of the indictments, pointed out the fact that government filed a case in the International Court of Justice but France, for one, failed to appear.

"France exercised its option – not to respond to this! So, what does the world want us to do?”

"Rwanda supports the principle of universal jurisdiction, no doubt about that,” he said. "But what we are challenging, what we object to is the misuse of the principle,” he underscored, dismissing the French and Spanish judges’ indictments.

"France sent a delegation here, it (the delegation) later gave a report that could not ascertain who shot the plane, which is the basis of their indictments,” the Attorney General said.

Kabuye’s arrest in Germany is on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by French Judge, Jean Louis Bruguiere, who falsely claims that she played a role in the shooting down of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane.

"There is also a UN report indicating that the plane was not shot by the RPF… this was a UN team set up for that purpose,” Karugarama said, also emphasising the need for a regulatory mechanism at the EU so as to avoid chaos emanating from the abuse of international law.

Most EU diplomats approached for comment after the closed meeting refused to divulge anything.

Unlike others, the EU’s David McRae, however much reserved, told The New Times that the matter was a bilateral issue between Rwanda and France, which he didn’t want to comment on.

"All that I can say is that it is on the level of the EU community. I have no more to say on the issue.”

On security in the region, and especially the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Museminali said that she expected her DR Congo counterpart to reciprocate by visiting Kigali over the same issues. She recently travelled to Kinshasa.

"Tomorrow (today), if nothing changes, I should be able to receive my colleague here so that we continue the discussions.”

Security, and dealing with the FDLR as the cause of the problem in the region and the normalisation of relations were central issues in the earlier discussions.

She stressed that Rwanda remains committed to peace in the region but that this must be dependent on political will of the DRC to resolve the problem.

Ends