President happy with Lusaka outcome

The Rwandan presidency and government have hailed the outcome of last week's Lusaka summit to discuss the DRC crisis and implementation of the stalled Lusaka accord. In a press release, President Paul Kagame said Rwanda remained "committed to playing a full role in support of the peace process". "We fully agree with and support the outcome of the Lusaka summit where the facilitator for the inter-Congolese national dialogue, [former Botswana president] Sir Ketumile Masire, has been accepted, and commitment to disengagement and other aspects of the Lusaka agreement have been reaffirmed," Kagame stated. In a separate statement, the Rwandan government urged the UN Secretary-General and Security Council "to respond urgently and positively to the call for the speedy deployment of UN observers and related personnel, as authorised by Security Council Resolution 1291 of 24 February 2000". "The Rwanda government wishes to renew its commitment to full implementation of the Lusaka ceasefire agreement, the Kampala disengagement plan and the Harare sub-plans [for the disengagement and redeployment of forces], and reiterates an earlier commitment for a troop pull-back by a further 200 km from the forward positions, once UN monitors are on the ground," the statement said. Rwanda was not represented at the Lusaka meeting, claiming that Zambia was no longer neutral in the DRC conflict on account of its failure to hand over alleged Rwandan genocide perpetrators to either Kigali or the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania. However, intense diplomatic pressure is being applied to Rwanda in a bid to persuade it not to abandon the process.