Rwanda, 1992

The

forty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly provides the

democratic transitional Rwandese Government the welcome opportunity to hail

the annual gathering for the conduct of international diplomacy, and thus to

make its contribution to the discussions on peace, security and development in

the world.

However, allow me, at the outset Sir, to express to you my warm

congratulations on your election to the presidency of the General Assembly at

its forty-seventh session. Your election is confirmation of the esteem and

respect you enjoy in the international community. You are a man of

experience, dialogue and conviction and these outstanding qualities guarantee

success for the work of this session of the Assembly.

The Rwandese delegation wishes to assure you. Sir, of our complete

readiness to make a positive contribution to the success of this session.

Concern for effectiveness in the service of peace, justice and

development was always the driving force behind your predecessor,

Mr. Samir Shihabi. I should like to express to him our profound gratitude for

his major contribution to the development of the United Nations.

May I also be permitted, on behalf of my delegation, to welcome very

warmly the courageous and innovative initiatives that have been undertaken by

our Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for peace, justice and

security and for international cooperation and the mutually supportive

development of all members of the international community. Such initiatives

are certainly intended to open up a new world political, economic, social and

cultural order. This will involve creating international solidarity between

the peoples and countries of the planet so that they can jointly achieve their

common destiny in peace and justice.

In this regard, my country, Rwanda, is happy to note that between

September 1990 and September 1992 the United Nations carried out important

actions to improve international political and economic relations. Some

particular achievements were: the Programme of Action for the Least

Developing Countries for the 1990s, adopted at the United Nations Conference

on the Least Developed Countries, held in Paris from 3 to 14 September 1990;

the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s,

adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 1991; a new partnership for

sustainable development, advocated by the eighth session of the United Nations

Conference on Trade and Development, which took place in Cartagena, Colombia

from 8 to 25 February 1092; and Agenda 2 1, adopted by the United Nations

Conference on Environment and Development, which was held in Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil, from 3 to 14 June 1992.

This is a small sample of actions with the same goal: the progressive

building of a world that is more united and more mutually supportive.

However, it can be achieved only after the definitive elimination of

totalitarian or autocratic regimes that hinder the flowering and development

of peoples in many countries of the world. Therefore, the restoration of

democracy and political pluralism are preconditions for the success of a new

world political order.

That is why, on 10 June 1991, Rwanda took the firm decision to move from

autocracy and a single-party system to democracy and political pluralism.

Since that time 16 political parties have been officially registered, and five

of them are represented in the Government of democratic transition, which I

have had the honour to lead since 16 April 1992.

The current democratic process in Rwanda, although it has passed through

a number of important stages and has reached the point of no return, is

encountering some difficulties because of the existence of forces that are

resistant to change. We think that this is the result of the fact that in

politics, as in physics, as soon as forces of change are set in motion, the

forces of inertia arise to counter them.

That is why the Government of transition has set as its major goal the

task of putting democracy in the country on a firm footing.

To do so, it has decided to undertake in-depth reforms to transform

Rwandese political life. Thus institutional reforms will be carried out to

ensure the separation and independence of the three branches of civil power:

the legislative, the executive and the judiciary. Furthermore, appropriate

machinery will be set up to allow the population to participate effectively in

the country's administration. Therefore, the political, social and moral

forces in our country have been invited to contribute to the conduct of the

democratic process under way in Rwanda.

The process of democratizing Rwandese political life is also viewed as a

solution to the war that has been going on in Rwanda since 1 October 1990.

This unjust, fratricidal and costly war has no objective raison d'être. The

Rwandese Government feels that there can be no military solution to this

conflict; that is why it has committed itself to seeking a negotiated solution.

I should like to inform the international community of the efforts made

by the multiparty Government of transition to end this conflict. These

efforts have been directed on the one hand towards the Rwandese Patriotic

Front, which began the war, and on the other to our neighbouring countries,

with a view to normalizing our relations and to coordinating our actions aimed

at restoring peace in the subregion of the Great Lakes countries. Within this

framework, an agreement on mutual security cooperation was signed with Uganda

on 8 August 1992.

The Government has resolutely committed itself to a frank and sincere

dialogue with the Rwandese Patriotic Front. In this context, direct

negotiations have been taking place in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania,

since 10 July 1992 with the participation of observers from Burundi, United

Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Senegal, France, Belgium, Germany, the

United States of America and the Organization of African Unity. The parties

concerned would also like the United Nations to take part in the negotiations.

The first phase of these negotiations, which took place from 10 to

12 July 1992, ended with the signing of a cease-fire agreement between the two

parties. There is reason to welcome the fact that this cease-fire has been

respected by all sides in spite of some irregularities.

The second phase, which took place from 10 to 18 August 1992, brought

about the signing of a protocol agreement for a government of law, a protocol

defining the basic principles that are to govern political life in Rwanda:

national unity, democracy, political pluralism and respect for human rights.

The third phase of the negotiations, which took place from 7 to

17 September 1992, has just been suspended and will resume on 5 October 1992.

None the less, the two parties have already taken another important step by

agreeing to the existence and separation of the three powers: legislative,

executive and judiciary. Let us recall that this third phase is devoted to

definition of the machinery and procedures for power-sharing.

The Rwandese Government defends respect for the State institutions and

agrees to the integration of the Rwandan Patriotic Front into those

institutions as well as to the making of institutional arrangements to speed

up the process of democratizing Rwandese political life and for favouring the

effective participation of the political forces of the country in managing the

State.

The work of this phase will resume on 5 October and we hope that at that

time the two parties will show sufficient political open-mindedness and

realism to find common ground quickly. Following that phase there is

provision for a fourth one which will study the modalities for integrating the

fighters of the Rwandan Patriotic Front into the Rwandese Army.

Over and above the efforts to end the war in Rwanda, which has been going

on since 1 October 1990, Rwanda reiterates its firm will to find a just and

lasting solution to the problem of its refugees.

To this end, the Rwandese Government reaffirms solemnly that the return

of Rwandese refugees to their country is an inalienable right that no one can

challenge. Actions to facilitate the welcoming of these refugees who opt for

repatriation have been undertaken. Mention may be made in particular of the

identification of reinstallation zones, the promulgation of a general amnesty

law, and the sensitizing and educating of the population to welcome the

returnees in a spirit of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.

The Government of Rwanda has also decided to ensure diplomatic protection

for Rwandese refugees who may have chosen to stay in host countries. These

refugees will enjoy all the civil rights that are recognized for other

Rwandese citizens.

The Government of Rwanda takes this opportunity to make another urgent

appeal to the High Commissioner for Refugees and to the Organization of

African Unity to accelerate the completion of the plan of action for the

repatriation of Rwandese refugees and the holding of the donors' round table,

which should take place before the end of this year.

The war in our country has entailed considerable economic, social and

cultural losses. One of the unfortunate consequences of this war undoubtedly

remains the tragic situation of displaced persons, who at present number more

than 350,000. They are located in 20 camps, where dozens of them are dying

every day from hunger, cold and poor hygiene. We take this opportunity to

make an urgent appeal to the international community to come to the assistance

of these displaced persons. We expect this community to come to our

assistance by providing food, tents, blankets and medicine. In monetary

terms, what is needed to maintain these persons displaced as a result of war

amounts to $30 million a year. Moreover, we are asking friendly countries

that have always stood by us not to remain aloof but rather to give increased

financial assistance for the rehabilitation of infrastructures and areas

destroyed by war and also for economic recovery.

In terms of international trade, Rwanda has suffered heavy losses because

of the closing of the Kigali-Mombasa via Kampala road. Current talks among

the users of the north corridor are of great interest for Rwanda, which would

like to see this road reopened as quickly as possible.

The Rwandese economy, like that of other developing countries, continues

to feel the effects of world economic imbalances and the burden of debt which

is still suffocating the economies of the poorest countries in the world.

The drop in world prices for coffee, which is the principal export

product of Rwanda, and which went from $2.50 in 1986 to less than 60 cents

from 1982 on, has caused a considerable drop in earnings for the Rwandese

economy. As a result of this deplorable situation,the gross domestic product

of Rwanda at first stagnated and then dropped while the balance-of-payments

problem remained largely one of indebtedness and some development projects had

to be stopped because there were no means for investment in them.

Despite these indicators which are not very encouraging, the Government

has taken courageous measures to limit the losses: drastic reduction in

public expenditures; credit restrictions; and the devaluation of the currency,

which in two years lost more than half its value.

The Government of Rwanda expresses its gratitude to the friendly

countries and international organizations which have been broadly contributing

to the execution of our structural adjustment programme. The Government of

Rwanda is also counting upon them to support the sectoral programmes for

economic recovery that are under way in our country.

After this survey of the economic and political situation prevailing in

our country, allow me now to take up some of the major international problems

of the moment.

Before doing so, I should like, as other delegations have done here, to

warmly welcome the new Members to the great family of the United Nations. We

wholeheartedly congratulate them and we encourage them to work for the triumph

of the noble ideals of the United Nations.

Mankind remains torn by bloody conflicts and wars that result from

anachronistic situations of colonialism, oppression, racism and ideological

intolerance. The seeds of blind violence are multiplying wherever the

sovereignty of peoples and the territorial integrity of States are being

undermined and wherever the dignity and fundamental rights of man are being

trampled upon by totalitarian regimes.

In this context, the Rwandese delegation praises the untiring efforts of

the United Nations to extinguish the flames in various hotbeds of tension and

to put an end to murderous, fratricidal conflicts that occur in the North as

well as in the South. In this respect, the Rwandese Government would like to

congratulate the Secretary-General of our Organization for his remarkable

contribution and for the ways and means he advocates in his "Agenda for

Peace", which would favour preventive diplomacy and peacemaking, peace-keeping

and peace-building actions.

Rwanda also welcomes the initiative taken by the twenty-eighth Summit of

Heads of State or Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which

allowed the Security Council to give serious consideration to ways and means

of controlling the outbreak of massacres in South Africa.

The Rwandese delegation hopes that dismantling the legal pillars of

apartheid will quickly lead to the establishment of a multiracial and

democratic South African society. It encourages the South African Government

to conclude negotiations with the African National Congress and to set up a

democratic Government that represents all the people of South Africa.

Rwanda is pleased at the resumption of peace negotiations in the Middle

East. We encourage all the parties involved to cooperate in good faith so

that that new diplomatic opportunity will be seized to the fullest in order to

achieve a lasting peace. Against that background, the Rwandese Government

pays tribute to the new Israeli Government's gesture of halting the

establishment of Jewish settlements in the occupied Arab territories.

The Rwandese Government also supports all efforts to restore peace in the

Horn of Africa, Liberia and other regions of the world, in particular Lebanon,

Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The success of the commitment of the United Nations to the process of

national reconciliation and democratization now under way in Central America

reflects the renewed influence of our Organization in the management of crises

and the seeking of negotiated solutions to local conflicts.

In addition, Rwanda notes with satisfaction the continuing dialogue

between the parties directly involved in the conflict in Western Sahara.

Hence Africa still hopes to see the organization of a referendum, under the

auspices of the United Nations, on the future status of that Territory.

Rwanda welcomes the current restructuring of the United Nations system

and the end of the cold war. We hope that disarmament will lead to a positive

net transfer of resources to the South, where the struggle against poverty

remains a constant challenge.

It is on this hopeful note that I should like once again to make an

urgent appeal to the international community to give diplomatic support to the

process of peace negotiations in Rwanda and to help, financially and

materially, with the repatriation of Rwandese refugees. The active

participation of the United Nations in the Arusha negotiations would be an

additional guarantee of the will of the international community to find a

just, speedy and lasting solution to the Rwandese conflict. We also appeal to

the international community to come to the assistance of the 350,000 displaced

persons and to help in the reinvigoration of our economy.

For its part, the Rwandese Government is committed to carrying out our

country's current democratization process until the establishment of a State

founded on law where all Rwandese, whether they live in or out of the country,

will have the right to exercise their civil rights freely and without any

discrimination whatsoever and to participate actively in the management of

public affairs.