Paul Kagame dit ne pas comprendre pourquoi Paris est persuadé qu'on ne peut pas discuter et négocier avec le FPR

Masure, Bruno

Rabine, Giles

Boisserie, Philippe

Duquesne, Benoît

6 juillet 1994

19940706

20:00:00

CEST

Journal de 20 heures

Paul Kagame dit ne pas comprendre pourquoi Paris est persuadé qu'on ne peut pas discuter et négocier avec le FPR

Des militaires rwandais haut placés ont lu solennellement une déclaration dans laquelle ils condamnent le génocide et appellent à des négociations avec le FPR.

ScriptFrance2JournalDe20Heures06071994.pdf

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France 2

INA

Transcription d'une émission de télévision

en

- A significant political thaw in Rwanda with the announcement of the upcoming appointment by leaders of the predominantly Tutsi Patriotic Front (RPF) of a moderate Hutu as Prime Minister, who is expected to head a national unity government.
- Our special correspondents met with the new strongman of Kigali: the commander of the RPF forces, General Paul Kagame.
- He is the invisible man of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. No one ever knows where he comes from, where he is, or where his orders originate. He is 37 years old, has a wife and two children. His uniform bears no distinctive insignia, but every RPF soldier knows he is the leader. The warlord, and perhaps even the leader of the movement. Nothing is done without him.
- General Paul Kagame came to tell us that the capture of Kigali constituted a decisive turning point in the war. And he calls on what remains of the former government to surrender "to shorten", he says, "the suffering of the Rwandans".
- Regarding the operations of French troops, Paul Kagame says he doesn't understand why Paris is convinced that discussions and negotiations with the RPF are impossible. Paul Kagame: "That's always the problem when there is foreign intervention in a country's internal affairs. Sometimes it provides genuine assistance, in part. It also sometimes creates interference, partisan commitments. In our particular case, France is responsible for having given too much support to the government we are fighting, which created the problems we face today. And we have asked the French to stay out of our affairs".
- Paul Kagame calls on Rwandans to reconcile and form a national unity government within two weeks. This government will exclude the criminals and those responsible for the genocide, who will be brought to justice. As for those who only did their duty as soldiers but on the wrong side, "we'll see", he said, "how to rehabilitate them".
- In France, the development of Operation Turquoise continues to raise some concerns within the majority party. Yesterday [July 5th], Valéry Giscard d'Estaing stated that our troops had advanced too far into Rwandan territory. And this morning, Charles Millon, the president of the UDF group in the National Assembly, spoke of "a risk of escalating into a military operation".
- This morning, government spokesperson Nicolas Sarkozy commented after the Council of Ministers meeting: "Operation Turquoise is a success and is proceeding according to the established objectives".
- To get a better sense of the situation on the ground, I suggest you watch this report from our special correspondents in Kirinda, about fifty kilometers from Kibuye, on the front line.
- At the head of a battalion of ragged children, Sergeant Major Canisius tries to hold his position. The Kirinda bridge, the last barrier to contain the increasingly pressing RPF troops across the river. Their only remaining effective weapon: the energy of despair.
- One question haunts Private Canisius: will the French military come to their aid, as in 1992? France has never since acknowledged its participation in that war alongside government forces against the RPF. The sergeant-major remembers: "In '92, after the Arusha Accords, I was with them in Ruhengeri and Byumba. They helped us fire".
- But today, the first French position is 18 kilometers away. So refugees continue to cross the bridge, along with a few peasants who risk their lives to find a meager meal. For from these hills, the machine-gun fire is getting closer.
- Nearby, the hospital, coveted by both armies, has closed. The villagers fled after having, in a futile precaution, closed their doors and shutters. These are the same people found a few kilometers away, lost in makeshift camps where only the children still retain a shred of carefree spirit.
- Benoît Duquesne: "The French military received a visit today from General Germanos. The purpose was to clarify the mission. From listening to the general, we understood that there will be one zone, a security perimeter established by the French, but not two. In other words, if things happen now in the Northwest of the country, if there is a major offensive by the RPF with a massive influx of refugees, there is no question, with the personnel available to the French, of establishing a second security zone in that region. At most, the French could carry out ad hoc operations in case of emergencies. […] The situation here has become relatively calm, relatively so because we are still hearing reports of atrocities or massacres that are still occurring. But the concern is to have the support of UNAMIR by the end of July—the date is becoming increasingly uncertain and also to have the arrival of UNAMIR quickly. The NGO sites are clearly still awaited, with the exception of the Red Cross, whose trucks have just arrived. And one last thing: earlier, somewhat surprisingly, high-ranking Rwandan military officers solemnly read a statement in which they seemed to distance themselves somewhat from what is happening in the north, and certainly from the rest of the military leadership. In this statement, they condemned the genocide, called for reconciliation, rejected the partition of the country, and called for negotiations with the RPF".
- Defense Minister François Léotard did not rule out today an extension of Operation Turquoise if the UN's support is delayed. François Léotard: "Our concern is not to prolong the operation. We all want to respect the end-of-July deadline. If we are unable to do so, we will then try to make the transition to UNAMIR as short as possible".
- For the press, working conditions in Rwanda are particularly perilous. Two French journalists were injured yesterday [July 5] in the country: José Nicolas, a photographer with the SIPA agency, and Isabelle Staes, a reporter for France 2, who was wounded when her vehicle, in which she was traveling with her team, Pascal Pons and Pascal Quérou, was strafed. Isabelle Staes underwent surgery this afternoon in Kigali by ICRC surgeons and should be repatriated as soon as possible.

The 20 o'clock news of France 2 of April 8, 1994 is visible in its entirety here: https://www.ina.fr/ina-eclaire-actu/video/cab05083390/f2-le-journal-20h-emission-du-6-juillet-1994

https://francegenocidetutsi.fr/fgtshow.php?num=35877