THE RWANDAN foreign minister has called on the EU to heir find a solution to the crisis in eastern Zaire, saying that his country had no interest in becoming involved in the conflict.
Mr Anastase Gasana, who yesterday met the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Joan Burton, said afterwards that Ireland and the EU could contribute to bringing stability to the region.
Approval for multinational African force with EU logistical and financial support is understood to have emerged from a series of meetings in recent days between the EU special envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region, Mr Aldo Ajello, and regional political leaders. Mr Ajello met Zairean leaders yesterday as preparations continued for a regional summit in Arusha, Tanzania, on Saturday.
Such a force could not be sent to eastern Zaire, however, unless Zaire agrees to it. Pressure is expected to be put on Zaire at Saturday's meeting between the presidents and foreign ministers of Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
Mr Gasana yesterday blamed the Zairean authorities for fomenting the conflict. The Zairean authorities told the Banyamulenge - a Tutsi people whose ancestors arrived in Zaire from Rwanda up to 300 years ago - that they "must leave Rwanda or be killed", said Mr Gasana.
In response to this threat, he said, "the Banyamulenge organised themselves and defended their rights". The Banyamulenge have made dramatic military advances in eastern Zaire over the past two weeks, forcing the badly organised and unpaid Zairean military to retreat.
The advances of the Tutsi Banyamulenge have forced several hundred thousand Hutu refugees to flee further into Zaire. These Hutu refugees include many perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda who fear reprisals from the Tutsis of eastern Zaire.
Mr Gasana said that he would like all refugees in eastern Zaire to return to Rwanda, "but they are being stopped by intimidators, the Interahamwe [Hutu militias] and the Zairean authorities". He rejected suggestions that they were too afraid to return to Rwanda. "The Zairean authorities have diverted them to the west for their own internal reasons."
Ms Burton said she wanted to see the establishment of "humanitarian corridors" through which refugees could safely travel to Rwanda, and aid could be brought to the refugees currently on the move in Zaire.
"We would like to see the Rwanda/Zaire border open," said Ms Burton. "Some of the refugees do not want to return but some do, and they should be allowed to do so." Seven reception points had been established in Rwanda for returning refugees.
If humanitarian corridors were established, "there would be a need for some kind of force to protect them". She said she believed a proposal might emerge on Saturday for a military force from the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), with logistical and financial support from the EU, to be sent.
She said she would like to see a ceasefire emerging from the summit in Tanzania on Saturday. However such a development is unlikely, as Zaire and Rwanda are not in control of the warring parties in eastern Zaire, who may ignore any call for a ceasefire.
Mr Claude Dusaiti, the special adviser to Rwanda's vice president, Mr Paul Kagame, insisted that his country wanted to stay away from any conflict with Zaire. "Our basket of problems is full," he said. "We view this as an internal problem for Zaire."