The admission by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that "serious errors of judgment” were made by his country in relation to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, opens a new chapter in the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Sarkozy, the first French leader to visit Rwanda since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, visiting the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre, where hundreds of thousands of the Genocide victims are laid to rest, is an indication of the political will on the part of his government to make amends with Rwandans.

It was very important for Rwandans to hear the French President declare that the perpetrators of the Genocide should be brought to book.

Because, as he made this powerful statement, dozens of Rwandans indicted by the National Prosecution over their role in the Genocide, are freely roaming the streets of various cities in France. His statement should indeed give the genocidaires sleepless nights.

Much as he insisted that the judiciary works independently, the support of his government in that process would go a long way to ensure that the judiciary does its work diligently.

Indeed, the President of France could use his country’s weight in the European Union to call for the arrest of other fugitives leaving in various countries in Europe.  

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