Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS7549
2006-11-27 15:33:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
RWANDA/FRANCE: "WE'RE BACK TO ZERO"
how-toVZCZCXRO9294 OO RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN DE RUEHFR #7549/01 3311533 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 271533Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3372 INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1029 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 007549
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR RW FR
SUBJECT: RWANDA/FRANCE: "WE'RE BACK TO ZERO"
REF: A. KIGALI 1133
B. KIGALI 1130
C. KIGALI 1125
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, 1.4 b/d.
1, (C) SUMMARY: A senior MFA contact told us on November
27 said that France was "surprised and disappointed" that
Rwanda had decided to sever relations in the wake of Judge
Jean-Louis Bruguiere's decision to seek arrest warrants
against nine Rwandans and recommend that President Kagame be
prosecuted in connection with events in Rwanda in 1994.
Relations with Rwanda were now "back to zero," we were told.
GOF personnel in Rwanda were leaving the country and were
shutting down all French-sponsored programs, with Belgium
expected to agree to serve as protecting power. The Rwandan
mission in France would likely close as well, although no
formal request had been made by the GOF. Our MFA contact was
pessimistic on the immediate future of relations with Rwanda.
Judge Bruguiere's decision was taken independently, with no
consultation or request for guidance from the MFA, and his
decision may have been affected by the pending end of his
tenure as a judge. END SUMMARY.
BACKGROUND
2. (C) MFA DAS-equivalent Helene Le Gal on November 27
provided French views on the November 24 decision by Rwanda
to end diplomatic relations with France (reftels). This
followed the November 17 issuance of Judge Jean-Louis
Bruguiere's report that included international arrest
warrants against nine Rwandans and Bruguiere's recommendation
that Rwandan President Kagame be prosecuted, all in
connection with the April 6. 1994, shooting down of
then-President Habyarimana's plane, which was crewed by
French citizens. One of the other victims was then-President
of Burundi Ntaryamira. Families of the French crew members
who died in the incident brought suit in France and Bruguiere
has served as investigative judge (with broad latitude to
seek evidence) in the case since 1998.
"SURPRISED AND DISAPPOINTED"
3. (C) Le Gal, visibly deflated, said that France was
"surprised and disappointed" by Rwanda's latest decision.
She said that on November 24, the French were initially not
surprised by Rwanda's decision to withdraw its Ambassador but
were taken aback by the subsequent decision to sever
relations completely. Le Gal mused several times that "we
will have to start all over" and "we're back to zero."
BELGIUM TO REPRESENT FRENCH INTERESTS,
RWANDANS EXPECTED TO CLOSE THEIR PARIS EMBASSY
4. (C) The departure of GOF officials from Rwanda was
taking place smoothly and the last French official was
expected to leave by the end of November 27, the deadline
Rwanda had imposed. Le Gal said that all GOF activities in
Rwanda were ending, including cultural activities and various
assistance programs. Le Gal said that GOF budget constraints
likely meant that the French mission in Rwanda would close
completely "and not just go into hibernation." France has
asked that Belgium serve as protecting power; the Belgians
had not yet formally responded to the GOF but Le Gal believed
they would agree. When asked whether Rwanda's Paris Embassy
would close and its personnel return to Rwanda, Le Gal said
that she expected that would be the case. She said that no
one on the GOF side, to her knowledge, had contacted the
Rwandan Embassy to request formally a reciprocal closing.
However, "they know what they have to do and I expect that
they'll close and leave," she said.
FUTURE LOOKS BLEAK
5. (C) Asked about next steps, Le Gal replied glumly that
"there aren't any." She said that Rwanda had taken a very
"extreme step" which did not augur well for any rapid
resumption on either side to build bridges. "I hope they
realize that it is much easier to sever relations than it is
to restore them," she said. Noting the independence of
France's judiciary, Le Gal said that if Rwanda conditioned a
resumption of relations on the ending of Bruguiere's
investigation and the quashing of his warrants, it should not
expect a change in the situation anytime soon.
BRUGUIERE AND JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE
6. (C) Le Gal reiterated the degree of independence judges
such as Bruguiere enjoy in France. So far as Le Gal was
PARIS 00007549 002 OF 002
aware, he had not conferred with the MFA or other GOF
elements during the course of the case or before his recent
decision. Le Gal said that she and her colleagues kept
themselves informed of his investigation largely through
press reports. Le Gal noted that Bruguiere had been
investigating the matter since 1998 and was bound to come to
a conclusion at some point. She remarked that he would soon
stop working as a judge in order to seek elective office as a
Deputy representing a district in Southwestern France, and he
no doubt wanted to close his cases before ending his tenure
as a judge.
7. (C) As a practical matter, Le Gal conjectured that the
international arrest warrants would serve largely as a
nuisance to the nine Rwandans, who would find ways to travel
despite the warrants. They could do so by using diplomatic
passports and claiming to be on official missions. Le Gal
did not believe that Bruguiere's recommendation that Kagame
be prosecuted would amount to much either. Prosecuting a
sitting head of state was no simple matter and Kagame, she
believed, could tie the international legal system into knots
if a case stemming from Bruguiere's recommendation were ever
initiated. Le Gal also wondered whether Bruguiere may have
exceeded his brief in bringing the genocide issue into his
case. He was supposed to investigate the destruction of the
plane at the behest of the French victims' families, not to
delve into the broader issue of the subsequent genocide. Le
Gal refrained from expressing further her views on the merits
of Bruguiere's case, remarking that "given the time that has
passed, the conflicting accounts, and all the rumors and
half-truths, can anyone as far removed as we are really say
what happened?"
8. (C) COMMENT: Le Gal's disappointment was visible at
every point in the meeting. She resisted the temptation to
criticize Bruguiere severely and managed to maintain a degree
of respect for the job he has had to do in investigating the
case. Nonetheless, she and her colleagues would have to live
with the consequences of his investigation, and she made it
clear that not only had a lot of work at the MFA and in
Rwanda gone down the drain but that the future also looked
quite bleak. END COMMENT.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR RW FR
SUBJECT: RWANDA/FRANCE: "WE'RE BACK TO ZERO"
REF: A. KIGALI 1133
B. KIGALI 1130
C. KIGALI 1125
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, 1.4 b/d.
1, (C) SUMMARY: A senior MFA contact told us on November
27 said that France was "surprised and disappointed" that
Rwanda had decided to sever relations in the wake of Judge
Jean-Louis Bruguiere's decision to seek arrest warrants
against nine Rwandans and recommend that President Kagame be
prosecuted in connection with events in Rwanda in 1994.
Relations with Rwanda were now "back to zero," we were told.
GOF personnel in Rwanda were leaving the country and were
shutting down all French-sponsored programs, with Belgium
expected to agree to serve as protecting power. The Rwandan
mission in France would likely close as well, although no
formal request had been made by the GOF. Our MFA contact was
pessimistic on the immediate future of relations with Rwanda.
Judge Bruguiere's decision was taken independently, with no
consultation or request for guidance from the MFA, and his
decision may have been affected by the pending end of his
tenure as a judge. END SUMMARY.
BACKGROUND
2. (C) MFA DAS-equivalent Helene Le Gal on November 27
provided French views on the November 24 decision by Rwanda
to end diplomatic relations with France (reftels). This
followed the November 17 issuance of Judge Jean-Louis
Bruguiere's report that included international arrest
warrants against nine Rwandans and Bruguiere's recommendation
that Rwandan President Kagame be prosecuted, all in
connection with the April 6. 1994, shooting down of
then-President Habyarimana's plane, which was crewed by
French citizens. One of the other victims was then-President
of Burundi Ntaryamira. Families of the French crew members
who died in the incident brought suit in France and Bruguiere
has served as investigative judge (with broad latitude to
seek evidence) in the case since 1998.
"SURPRISED AND DISAPPOINTED"
3. (C) Le Gal, visibly deflated, said that France was
"surprised and disappointed" by Rwanda's latest decision.
She said that on November 24, the French were initially not
surprised by Rwanda's decision to withdraw its Ambassador but
were taken aback by the subsequent decision to sever
relations completely. Le Gal mused several times that "we
will have to start all over" and "we're back to zero."
BELGIUM TO REPRESENT FRENCH INTERESTS,
RWANDANS EXPECTED TO CLOSE THEIR PARIS EMBASSY
4. (C) The departure of GOF officials from Rwanda was
taking place smoothly and the last French official was
expected to leave by the end of November 27, the deadline
Rwanda had imposed. Le Gal said that all GOF activities in
Rwanda were ending, including cultural activities and various
assistance programs. Le Gal said that GOF budget constraints
likely meant that the French mission in Rwanda would close
completely "and not just go into hibernation." France has
asked that Belgium serve as protecting power; the Belgians
had not yet formally responded to the GOF but Le Gal believed
they would agree. When asked whether Rwanda's Paris Embassy
would close and its personnel return to Rwanda, Le Gal said
that she expected that would be the case. She said that no
one on the GOF side, to her knowledge, had contacted the
Rwandan Embassy to request formally a reciprocal closing.
However, "they know what they have to do and I expect that
they'll close and leave," she said.
FUTURE LOOKS BLEAK
5. (C) Asked about next steps, Le Gal replied glumly that
"there aren't any." She said that Rwanda had taken a very
"extreme step" which did not augur well for any rapid
resumption on either side to build bridges. "I hope they
realize that it is much easier to sever relations than it is
to restore them," she said. Noting the independence of
France's judiciary, Le Gal said that if Rwanda conditioned a
resumption of relations on the ending of Bruguiere's
investigation and the quashing of his warrants, it should not
expect a change in the situation anytime soon.
BRUGUIERE AND JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE
6. (C) Le Gal reiterated the degree of independence judges
such as Bruguiere enjoy in France. So far as Le Gal was
PARIS 00007549 002 OF 002
aware, he had not conferred with the MFA or other GOF
elements during the course of the case or before his recent
decision. Le Gal said that she and her colleagues kept
themselves informed of his investigation largely through
press reports. Le Gal noted that Bruguiere had been
investigating the matter since 1998 and was bound to come to
a conclusion at some point. She remarked that he would soon
stop working as a judge in order to seek elective office as a
Deputy representing a district in Southwestern France, and he
no doubt wanted to close his cases before ending his tenure
as a judge.
7. (C) As a practical matter, Le Gal conjectured that the
international arrest warrants would serve largely as a
nuisance to the nine Rwandans, who would find ways to travel
despite the warrants. They could do so by using diplomatic
passports and claiming to be on official missions. Le Gal
did not believe that Bruguiere's recommendation that Kagame
be prosecuted would amount to much either. Prosecuting a
sitting head of state was no simple matter and Kagame, she
believed, could tie the international legal system into knots
if a case stemming from Bruguiere's recommendation were ever
initiated. Le Gal also wondered whether Bruguiere may have
exceeded his brief in bringing the genocide issue into his
case. He was supposed to investigate the destruction of the
plane at the behest of the French victims' families, not to
delve into the broader issue of the subsequent genocide. Le
Gal refrained from expressing further her views on the merits
of Bruguiere's case, remarking that "given the time that has
passed, the conflicting accounts, and all the rumors and
half-truths, can anyone as far removed as we are really say
what happened?"
8. (C) COMMENT: Le Gal's disappointment was visible at
every point in the meeting. She resisted the temptation to
criticize Bruguiere severely and managed to maintain a degree
of respect for the job he has had to do in investigating the
case. Nonetheless, she and her colleagues would have to live
with the consequences of his investigation, and she made it
clear that not only had a lot of work at the MFA and in
Rwanda gone down the drain but that the future also looked
quite bleak. END COMMENT.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON