Kagame optimistic after Harare visit

Rwanda and Zimbabwe, the major foreign powers on opposing sides in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) war, are to push for a speedy end to the conflict in order to deal with problems at home, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Monday after talks in Harare, the Associated Press reported. Speaking on his return from the talks with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Kagame was cautiously optimistic about accelerating a 1999 agreement to end the war, which involves two rebel groups and six foreign armies, in addition to Congo’s own forces.

“I think it would be very important to enlist his (Mugabe’s) support and views and with him work together to urge others to fully support that process so that we can realise peace quickly,” Kagame said. Kagame said he and Mugabe discussed implementation of key provisions of the agreement, including a dialogue among the Congolese government, rebels and political opposition to come up with a new political arrangement for Africa’s third-largest nation. Zimbabwe’s state radio said Mugabe described the meeting as positive.

Zimbabwe has said it would withdraw its troops once a UN peace force was deployed to monitor the implementation of the accord. The United Nations is currently completing the deployment of some 3,500 troops in DRC. Kigali has said it was ready to pull out its forces, provided the United Nations or others stepped in to disarm the former soldiers and Hutu militia members in the DRC responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide of some 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus.