MPs resolve to improve relations

Members of parliament from Rwanda and Uganda have resolved to hold regular meetings - at least once every three months - as a means of promoting "closer cooperation" between their respective governments. In a joint statement following a meeting of the MPs on 30 and 31 August, they said they had "fruitful discussions" on a number of issues affecting relations between the two countries. The Ugandan delegation from the Secretariat of the Uganda Movement Political System and led by the National Political Commissar, Chrispus Kiyonga, was invited to Kigali by the Amani (peace) forum - a group of MPs seeking peace in the Great Lakes region - to meet the Rwandan delegation, which was led by the Secretary General of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Charles Murigande. Both movements had decided to set up a framework under which to operate in order to lay the foundation for "a strong and long term working relationship", the statement said. However, they noted that unresolved issues remained between the two countries which needed to be sorted out. The two political organisations acknowledged the central role they must play in promoting and boosting relations between the two countries and recommended that their respective governments strengthen formal working structures and channels of cooperation. "The two delegations deplored the deterioration of the relationship between the two countries following the unfortunate events of Kisangani," the statement added. Relations between the former allies soured when their armies were operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They clashed three times in 1999 and 2000 in Kisangani, eastern DRC, in fighting that left several hundred civilians dead. Speaking in Kigali, the President of Amani, Norbert Mao said a bilateral permanent joint commission should come into operation and both governments should also be encouraged to design mechanisms for the repatriation of refugees from each country, Reuters reported. The MPs also recommended that both governments sign an extradition treaty to address the question of alleged criminal fugitives in their respective countries.