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ORIGIN SS-00
STATE 191152 180937Z
INFO LOG-00 AMAD-01 CCO-00 OASY-00 TEDE-00 ADS-00
DRAFTED BY: S/S-0: DAVID BAME
APPROVED BY: S/S-O: RONALD ROBINSON
5D9563 180938Z /38
O 180935Z JUL 94 ZFF5
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO USDEL SECRETARY IMMEDIATE
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE STATE 191152 TOSEC 150016
FOLLOWING BRUSSELS 07949 DATED 07/18/94 SENT ACTION
SECSTATE INFO DAR ES SALAAM NAIROBI KAMPALA KINSHASA
ADDIS ABABA LAGOS BUJUMBURA USUN NEW YORK REPEATED
FOR YOUR INFO:
QUOTE LIMITED OFFICIAL USE BRUSSELS 07949
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/C
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: MOPS, PEEL, PHUM, MARK, RW, UN, BE
SUBJECT: HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GOMA: JULY 17
CONVERSATIONS WITH RPF REPRESENTATIVE RUEGO IN BRUSSELS
AND BELGIAN MFA CHEF DE CABINET WILLEMS
REF: A) FENDRICK-JOHNSON TELCONS OF 17/7/94;
B) JOHNSON-MCCULLEY TELCON OF 17/7/94
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STATE
191152 180937Z
SUMMARY
1. AS INSTRUCTED REF A, POLCOUNS PASSED THROUGH RPF
REPRESENTATIVE RUEGO IN BRUSSELS MESSAGE THAT USG URGED
RPF TO DECLARE IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AND TAKE OTHER MEASURES
TO CALM FEARS AND STAUNCH OVERWHELMING REFUGEE FLOW INTO
GOMA. RUEGO PROMISED TO CONVEY MESSAGE TO KIGALI EVENING
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: HARMON E KIRBY
DATE/CASE ID: 03 MAY 2007 200103014
UNCLASSIFIED
/001R
UNCLASSIFIED
6/17. RUEGO THOUGHT THE NEW GOVERNMENT WOULD LIKELY
ANNOUNCE A CEASEFIRE 6/18. (POLCOUNS URGED THAT THE RPF DO
THIS 6/17.) RUEGO BLAMED HUTU ARMY AND MILITIAS AND THEIR
RADIO FOR SPREADING FEAR AND DRIVING PEASANTS BEFORE THEM
INTO ZAIRE. HE SAID RPF RADIO WAS ALREADY BROADCASTING
MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. BELGIAN MFA CHEF DE CABINET
WILLEMS ALSO VOLUNTEERED TO CALL RPF TO URGE CEASEFIRE AND
MEASURES TO CALM SITUATION. WILLEMS LATER PHONED TO
REPORT HE HAD DONE SO. RUEGO HAD MENTIONED TO WILLEMS
THAT RPF HAD LIST OF 500 PEOPLE IT CONSIDERED RESPONSIBLE
FOR ATROCITIES IN RWANDA. END SUMMARY.
CONVERSATION WITH BRUSSELS RPF REPRESENTATIVE JAMES RUEGO
2. AS REQUESTED IN REFCON A, POLCOUNS REACHED BRUSSELS
RPF REPRESENTATIVE JAMES RUEGO LATE AFTERNOON JULY 17 TO
EMPHASIZE HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPE DEVELOPING IN GOMA AND
TO REQUEST THAT RPF ANNOUNCE AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AND
PUT OUT A MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION TO CALM FEARS AND TRY
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TO STEM MASSIVE FLIGHT INTO GOMA. ALSO AS INSTRUCTED REF
A, POLCOUNS NOTED THAT FAILURE TO ACT NOW ON A CEASEFIRE
AND MEASURES TO CALM THE SITUATION WOULD AFFECT HOW USG
VIEWED NEW STRUCTURES BEING FORMED IN KIGALI.
3. RUEGO, WHO IS LOCAL RPF REPRESENTATIVE, CONFIRMED THAT
BIHOZAGARA AND PASTOR BIZIMUNGU WERE IN KIGALI. RUEGO
SAID HE EXPECTED TO BE PHONED FROM KIGALI SUNDAY EVENING
AND PROMISED TO CONVEY USG MESSAGE. HE WOULD NOT/NOT GIVE
POLCOUNS NUMBER OF SATELLITE PHONE CONTACT WITH KIGALI,
BUT SAID HE UNDERSTOOD WASHINGTON HAD A NUMBER FOR KAGAME
AND HAD USED IT.
4. RUEGO SAID THAT RPF RADIO WAS ALREADY BROADCASTING A
MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. HE SAID PEASANTS WHO WERE
FLEEING HAD NOTHING TO FEAR FROM RPF. RUEGO BLAMED FLIGHT
ON HUTU ARMED FORCES AND MILITIAS, WHO WERE DRIVING
ORDINARY RWANDANS BEFORE THEM USING THREATS AND GUNFIRE.
THEY WANTED THIS EXODUS TO PROVIDE COVER FOR THEMSELVES IN
ZAIRE. RUEGO ALSO SAID THAT RADIO MILLE COLLINES HAD
CONTINUED TO BROADCAST, EITHER FROM GISENYI OR GOMA.
5.
IN RESPONSE TO POLCOUNS' QUESTIONS, RUEGO ACKNOWLEDGED
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
THAT THE RPF HAD NOT/NOT YET ANNOUNCED A CEASEFIRE. HE
BELIEVED THE NEW GOVERNMENT IN KIGALI WOULD DO SO JULY
18. RUEGO ALSO HELD THAT A CEASEFIRE WAS BECOMING
ACADEMIC AS, WITH THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE FAR FORCES INTO
ZAIRE, THERE WERE NO LONGER TWO FIGHTING FORCES IN
RWANDA. POLCOUNS SAID THAT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CEASEFIRE
WOULD NOT BE ACADEMIC, COULD HELP TO CALM FEARS, AND AN
IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE SHOULD BE EASIER IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES
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RUEGO DESCRIBED.
WILLEMS ALSO CONVEYS MESSAGE ON BEHALF OF GOB
6. WHILE SEARCHING FOR NUMBERS FOR RUEGO, POLCOUNS HAD
SPOKEN AFTERNOON 6/17 TO BELGIAN MFA CHEF DE CABINET LODE
WILLEMS. IN ADDITION TO HELPING WITH NUMBER, WILLEMS
OFFERED TO MAKE SAME POINTS WITH RPF ON BEHALF OF GOB. HE
CALLED BACK EVENING 6/17 TO SAY HE HAD TALKED TO RUEGO AND
EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AND
MEASURES TO STAUNCH THE FLOW OF REFUGEES INTO ZAIRE.
WILLEMS TOLD RUEGO EU FOREIGN MINISTERS, MEETING IN
BRUSSELS 6/18, WOULD HAVE SEEN THE PICTURES FROM GOMA AND
WOULD HOLD THE RPF ACCOUNTABLE FOR DOING EVERYTHING IN ITS
POWER TO REASSURE THE POPULATION AND REVERSE THE FLOW OF
REFUGEES OVERWHELMING GOMA. WILLEMS SAID RUEGO ALSO
PROMISED TO CONVEY HIS MESSAGE TO KIGALI. RUEGO ALSO TOLD
WILLEMS THAT THE PEASANTS WHO WERE FLEEING HAD NOTHING TO
FEAR FROM THE RPF. RUEGO ADDED THAT THE RPF HAD A LIST OF
500 NAMES OF PEOPLE IT CONSIDERED RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
ATROCITIES IN RWANDA. WILLEMS RESPONDED THAT THE
EXISTENCE OF SUCH A "LIST" WAS NOT/NOT LIKELY TO CALM
FEARS.
7. SUBSTANCE OF THE ABOVE MESSAGE WAS PASSED IN TELEPHONE
CALLS TO AF/C'S FENDRICK AND MCCULLEY EVENING 6/17. THIS
MESSAGE IS BEING SUBMITTED, AS FENDRICK REQUESTED, FOR THE
RECORD. SCHERMERHORN UNQUOTE TALBOTT
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