PRESIDENT KAGAME SUPPORTS REWARDS FOR JUSTICE IN RWANDA INITIATIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 002990 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/WCI, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2012 TAGS: PREL PHUM KJUS PHUM KJUS RW RWPREL SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KAGAME SUPPORTS REWARDS FOR JUSTICE IN RWANDA INITIATIVE REF: A. A) KIGALI 1137 ¶B. B) KIGALI 1132 CLASSIFIED BY: ACTING POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR GARY ROBBINS FOR REA SONS 1.5(B)(D) CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 02990 01 OF 02 191004Z ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR WAR CRIMES ISSUES PIERRE-RICHARD PROSPER AND NSC SR. DIRECTOR DR. JENDAYI FRAZER DISCUSSED WITH RWANDAN PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME ON JUNE 13 THE LAUNCHING OF AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN TO APPREHEND PERSONS INDICTED FOR GENOCIDE BY THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA (ICTR). THESE FUGITIVES ARE ALSO FUELING THE ONGOING CONFLICT IN THE CONGO. PRES. KAGAME EXPRESSED GRATITUDE FOR THE INITIATIVE AND SAID HE WOULD PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION THE GOVERNMENT OF RWANDA HAS THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR APPREHENSION. DR. FRAZER CALLED FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF THE SUPPRESSION OF THE MUTINY IN KISANGANI. PRES. KAGAME DENIED ANY INVOLVEMENT AND COMPLAINED ABOUT ASSUMPTIONS OF RWANDAN CONTROL OF THE RCD. END SUMMARY. REWARDS FOR JUSTICE -------------- ¶2. (C) AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR WAR CRIMES ISSUES PIERRE-RICHARD PROSPER AND SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND NSC SR. DIRECTOR FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS DR. JENDAYI FRAZER MET ON JUNE 13 WITH RWANDAN PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME, WHO WAS IN ROME FOR A WORLD FOOD SUMMIT. AMB. PROSPER DESCRIBED THE LAUNCHING OF THE REWARDS FOR JUSTICE CAMPAIGN (REFTEL A) THAT IS TARGETING FELICIEN KABUGA IN NAIROBI, KENYA. AMB. PROSPER STATED THAT HE PLANS TO EXPAND THIS CAMPAIGN TO THE CONGO REGION TO APPREHEND PERSONS INDICTED FOR GENOCIDE WHO REMAIN AT LARGE THERE. THESE FUGITIVES WHO HOLD POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP WITH ALIR (A TERRORIST GROUP RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDER OF AMERICAN CITIZENS IN BWENDI, UGANDA IN 1999) ARE FUELING THE WAR IN CONGO. DR. FRAZER VOICED WHITE HOUSE SUPPORT TO APPREHEND THE INDICTED LEADERSHIP, SO THAT CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 ROME 02990 01 OF 02 191004Z LOWER-LEVEL FIGHTERS COULD BE DEMOBILIZED AND REPATRIATED. AMB. PROSPER ASKED FOR ANY INFORMATION ON KABUGA OR OTHER FUGITIVES THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF RWANDA MAY HAVE. ¶3. (C) PRES. KAGAME EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION FOR THIS &CRUCIAL8 EFFORT. HE STATED THAT THESE FUGITIVES CONTRIBUTE SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE SECURITY PROBLEM IN THE REGION AND THEREFORE TO RWANDA,S PRESENCE IN THE CONGO. HE COMMITTED TO SHARING ANY AVAILABLE INFORMATION THAT MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE APPREHENSION OF THESE FUGITIVES AND WELCOMED THE REPATRIATION OF LOWER-LEVEL INDIVIDUALS FROM THE CONGO. ¶4. (C) DR. FRAZER STRESSED THAT THE EFFORT TO APPREHEND GENOCIDAIRES SOUGHT TO BUILD CONFIDENCE THAT RWANDA,S SECURITY CONCERNS ARE BEING ADDRESSED. DR. FRAZER SAID THAT THERE IS A NEED TO DEAL WITH BORDER SECURITY, SUGGESTING A TECHNICAL TEAM LOOK INTO A POSSIBLE BUFFER ZONE. ¶5. (C) THE IDEA OF A BUFFER ZONE WAS A GOOD CONCEPT, KAGAME STATED, ESPECIALLY WITHIN A LARGER CONTEXT OF DEALING WITH RWANDA,S SECURITY CONCERNS. HE SAID IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO SET A BUFFER ZONE IF THE OTHER SIDE CONTINUES TO TRAIN COMBATANTS. PRES. KAGAME SAID RWANDA IS ANXIOUS TO LEAVE THE CONGO, BUT THE QUESTION IS WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF THE FORCES THAT WOULD COME IN TO THE VACUUM THERE AND THUS THREATEN RWANDA. ICTR COOPERATION CONCERNS -------------- CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 ROME 02990 01 OF 02 191004Z ¶6. (C) AMB. PROSPER RAISED WITH KAGAME HIS MEETING WITH GENOCIDE SURVIVOR GROUPS ON JUNE 11 IN KIGALI DISCUSSING THEIR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ICTR (REFTEL B) AND TOLD KAGAME THAT HE SUBSEQUENTLY PRESSED THE ICTR REGISTRAR, ADAMA DIENG, FOR FURTHER REFORMS AT THE ICTR TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS. AMB. PROSPER STRESSED TO PRES. KAGAME THAT IF IT IS PERCEIVED THAT RWANDA IS NOT COOPERATING WITH THE ICTR IT WILL CREATE PROBLEMS WITH GETTING THE NECESSARY COOPERATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO AND OTHER STATES TO APPREHEND WANTED FUGITIVES. AMB. PROSPER TOLD PRES. KAGAME THAT HE WOULD APPRECIATE HIS HELP IN GETTING THE SURVIVOR GROUPS TO RESCIND THEIR SUSPENSION OF COOPERATION WITH THE ICTR. ¶7. (C) PRES. KAGAME SAID HE HAD GIVEN FULL SUPPORT TO THE ICTR DESPITE ITS SHORTCOMINGS. HINTING AT ICTR INVESTIGATIONS OF THE RPA, PRES. KAGAME STATED THAT THE WORK OF THE ICTR IS BECOMING POLITICIZED AND THAT THE FRENCH HAVE A LOT OF INFLUENCE TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE WHOLE PROCESS. AMB. PROSPER RESPONDED THAT HE WOULD LOOK INTO THIS, STATING HE DID NOT WANT THE PROCESS TO BE POLITICIZED. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PTO6921 PAGE 01 ROME 02990 02 OF 02 191005Z ACTION SWCI-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 AMAD-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 PERC-00 DS-00 EUR-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 L-00 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W -------------- BF57C8 191005Z /38 R 191026Z JUN 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4315 INFO RWANDA COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY KIGALI NSC WASHDC C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 002990 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/WCI, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2012 TAGS: PREL PHUM KJUS PHUM KJUS RW RWPREL SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KAGAME SUPPORTS REWARDS FOR JUSTICE IN RWANDA INITIATIVE ¶8. (C) AMB. PROSPER STATED THAT HE HOPED HIS NEXT MEETING WITH PRES. KAGAME COULD EXPLORE IDEAS TO TRANSFER CASES FROM THE ICTR TO RWANDA AS PART OF THE GOAL OF REACHING A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF ICTR CASES BY 2008. PRES. KAGAME STATED THAT HE WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO HAVE SUCH DISCUSSIONS. HE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO TRY GENOCIDAIRES IN CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 ROME 02990 02 OF 02 191005Z RWANDA RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, BUT RESPECTED THAT THE TRIALS HAD TO BE OUTSIDE OF RWANDA. KISANGANI -------------- ¶9. (C) DR. FRAZER STRESSED TO PRES. KAGAME THAT RWANDA NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THE SUPPRESSION OF THE MUTINY IN KISANGANI TO HOLD THOSE RESPONSIBLE ACCOUNTABLE. PRES. KAGAME STATED THAT HE WISHED A DISTINCTION COULD BE MADE BETWEEN RWANDA AND THE RCD. HE ASKED WHY THE FAILURES OF THE MLC ARE NOT ATTRIBUTED TO UGANDA, OR KABILA,S ACTIONS ATTRIBUTED TO ZIMBABWE OR ANGOLA, TO WHICH DR. FRAZER COMMENTED THAT WE HAVE HAD A SIMILAR MESSAGE TO UGANDA IN THE PAST. PRES. KAGAME STATED THAT THE RWANDANS WERE THE FIRST TO LEAVE KISANGANI TWO YEARS AGO, AND SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN NO RWANDAN SOLDIERS THERE. HE COMMENTED THAT THERE ARE CONGOLESE OF RWANDAN ORIGIN IN KISANGANI WHO VISIT RWANDA, AND COMPLAINED THAT IF THESE CONGOLESE SPEAK IN KENYARWANDA THEN PEOPLE CLAIM THEY ARE RPA. ¶10. THIS CABLE HAS BEEN CLEARED BY AMB. PROSPER. SEMBLER CONFIDENTIAL > 2002ROME02990 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL