Résumé
U.S. Senators Paul Simon and Jim Jeffords send a letter to President Clinton urging the United States to make clear to the Rwandan government that it will not receive aid from the United States unless it takes steps to end the violence and to protect and provide assistance to civilians; take measures to deter the importation of weapons into Rwanda; lobby the UN Security Council to increase the deployment of UN troops and broaden their mandate to stop the massacres; and provide adequate support to countries that will contribute these troops.
Citation
13 May 1994
President William J. Clinton
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President:
We are concerned about the continuinq disaster in Rwanda, and the failure of the international community to halt or even diminish the slaughter taking place there.
We have been consulting with these who work with the refugee community including a Rwandan who barely escaped from the disaster; General Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian military leader in charge of the remnant of United Nations troops in the capital city of Kigali; and others.
We suggest the following action be considered immediately and acted upon swittly:
l. The United States should send a signal to the present government, such as it is, and to those who rebel, that a government which does not strive to halt the civil war, eliminate the massacres, and assist in gettinq food to hungry people, regardless of ethnic background, will not receive assistance from the United States, and we will encourage the community of nations to follow a similar policy.
2. The United States should take steps to discourage the importation of arms into Rwanda.
3. The United States should press the United Nations Security Council to immediately approve an increase in authorized UN force levels of the United nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda (UNAMIR). General Dallaire,the UN forces commander in Rwanda, has indicated that a minimum of 5,000 troops would be necessary to ensure a credible UN presence. He believes a force of 8,000 would effectively achieve the desired results. The force should have the mandate to (a) stop the massacres; (b) protect civilians throughout the country; and (c) facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. General Dallaire believes a force of that size could effectively achieve the desired result. Obviously there are risks, but an end to the slaughter is not possible without this action. These can be primarily African-nation troops, though some non-African troops should participate.
The United States should assist the United Nations with finances and provide some basic equipment to some of the less well equipped forces.
Delays, orr simply doinq nothing, are not acceptable substitutes for a foreign policy of leadership. Human life is at stake, and swift and sound decision makinq is needed.
We request that you ask your top military and diplomatic persmnnel to immediately analyze the soundness of our proposals, and to report back to you quickly so that timely action can be taken.
Sincerely,
Paul Simon,
U.S. Senator
Jim Jeffords,
U.S. Senator
