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Kagame Presses for Peace-Building

The New Times (Kigali)
NEWS
September 18, 2006
Posted to the web September 19, 2006

By Our Reporter
Kigali
President Paul Kagame has emphasised Rwanda's resolve to strengthen peace-
building efforts in Africa.
Kagame, who was addressing members of the Royal United Services Institute
(RUSI) said that Rwanda had initiated efforts aimed at emphasizing prospects
for the enhancement of peace, security and development in what he described as
'the New Africa'. President Kagame, who was speaking at the launch of RUSI's
African activities in London yesterday, said that the event marked 'the
beginning
of a productive relationship between this organisation and its continental
counterparts in research and policy analysis on issues of mutual interests'. "I
make the case that since we entered the new Century our continent has undergone
positive changes to warrant the term 'New Africa'. My thesis is that the
prospects for peace and security - and indeed the fundamentals for socio-
economic and political development have greatly improved. While challenges
remain, significant achievements have been made," Kagame told the audience.
He decried the genocide in Rwanda, saying its perpetrators had caused untold
instability in the region.
"In the case of Rwanda, we lost up to a million lives in the 1994 genocide. The
perpetrators of this crime rendered our region unstable by their presence and
operations in neighbouring countries in much of the 1990s up to the present,"
the President stressed, adding: "Although this problem has subsided in the
recent past, it is not fully resolved. With this legacy, including our strong
belief in a socio-economic rebirth of our continent, we became an active
participant and partner in peace-building efforts of the New Africa."
The president enumerated Africa's woes that included among others the vagaries
of colonialism, lack of human capital and a weak private sector.
"Into this highly unstable socio-economic and political environment arose what
we now call 'old Africa' characterized by immense poverty, corruption, inept
leadership, tribalism, nepotism, ignorance, inter and intra-state conflicts,
internal displacements, refugees, and an untold number of millions of lost
lives," the president said, while expressing reservations about the performance
of the Organisation of African Unity, the precursor to the African Union.
Kagame, who will later in the week join other heads of State for the annual UN
General Assembly, also addressed members of the Royal Society on the advantages
and challenges facing Africa in regard to science and technology.
The two events were attended by among others Sir Paul Lever, the RUSI Chairman
and Rear Admiral Richard Cobbold, the Director of RUSI.
Others were: Lord Martin Rees, the President of the Royal Society, Sir David
King, the Chief Scientific Advisor to Her Majesty's Government and Prof. Neil
Turok, of the University of Cambridge.


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