URUGWIRO VILLAGE - Tällberg Foundation, a Swedish group aimed at encouraging development of global leaders, has invited President Paul Kagame to speak at its annual forum that is slated for late June.

The foundation’s Chairman, Bo Ekman, said that they want the president to share the ‘Rwandan story’ with other world leaders from business and politics, thinkers, scientists, artists and entrepreneurs who will gather at the event. The foundation mainly wants him to talk about issues of leadership and democracy.

Ekman extended the invitation to the President at their meeting that was held at Urugwiro Village yesterday.

"I would like President Kagame to tell the Rwandan story with all its atrocities and all its success and glory”.

"The country has been good under his leadership together with the Rwandan people,” Ekman said shortly after his meeting with Kagame.

Over 400 people are invited at the event that will take place in the village of Tällberg, Sweden, on June 24-28, under the theme "How on earth can we live together, within the planetary boundaries?”

He said that the forum will spend four days tackling ‘global issues of urgency and common interest’ through conversation, reflection and working sessions, the foundation says.

"The world is in deep crisis right now and the crisis will get even deeper. The conflicts will be part of the problems and we will need leaders of this kind, of this strength and of this resolve to overcome differences,” he added, explaining some of the reasons why he invited the Rwandan President.

Ekman was accompanied to the President’s Office by Rwanda’s Ambassador to Sweden, Jacqueline Mukangira, who also said that many participants at the 2009 Tällberg Forum will be interested in Rwanda’s story.

"They want the President to tell the miracle story about how Rwanda has been able to quickly rebuild it-self from zero in the aftermath of the genocide,” she said.

Rwanda will in April mark the 15th anniversary to commemorate the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in which over a million Rwandans perished.

The Tällberg Forum says that it offers an opportunity for international leaders to get together to be inspired, put everything on the table, and learn from each other about how the world has changed and how people can change with it.

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