Rwanda’s embassy may re-open its doors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September next year, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Charles Murigande has said.

"During a ministerial meeting that took place in Kampala a few days ago, we agreed that the embassy should open by September next year but we are not yet sure whether this will be implemented,” Murigande told a press conference yesterday.

The ministerial meeting was held under the auspices of the Tripartite Plus Joint Commission (TPJC), a US-facilitated regional peace platform bringing together Rwanda, DRC, Burundi and Uganda.

He said that since 2004 "we have been earmarking the money for that embassy in our annual budgets with hope that the situation may normalise and the embassy reopens.”

"We have been waiting for guarantee for security of the diplomats because of the upsurge of the population in Kinshasa against Rwandans; once we get it (security) we shall reopen,” said Murigande.

Kigali previously appointed an ambassador to Kinshasa but the latter rejected him.

The two countries have not been having ambassadors in each other after diplomatic disagreements rose between them due to the presence of Rwandan genocidal forces on the Congolese soil.

Murigande also said that France has started the process to restore its relations with Rwanda. President Paul Kagame last week met his French counterpart, Nicholas Sarkozy, during which it was announced that a team would be put in place to study the relations between both nations.

Rwanda broke its ties with Kinshasa after a French magistrate issued indictments against some Rwandan government officials.

 "Actually the French themselves have started to realize the repercussions of that unfounded report by the judge who did not conduct thorough investigations,” Murigande said during the weekly ministerial press briefing at the Prime Minister’s office in Kimihurura.

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