The President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame held talks on Tuesday with a number of senior US government officials, including Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell.
The meeting, which took place at the Harry S. Truman Department of State building in Washington DC., focused on bilateral relations between the US and Rwanda, recent political developments in Rwanda and the prospect of war against Iraq.
President Kagame thanked the US government for the economic and technical support extended to Rwanda over the years in various areas of economic and social development. He briefed Gen. Powell about key governance reforms introduced by the Government of National Unity, highlighting the democratization and constitution-making processes, and also spoke about the upcoming referendum and elections.
President Kagame noted that over the last nine years, Rwanda has made remarkable progress in its effort to bring about political and economic transformation in the country, despite many challenges. He added that the Rwanda government is recognized as being the most transparent and accountable in the region, and because of these efforts Rwanda merits much more technical and economic assistance from the industrialized world and international financial institutions.
President Kagame also briefed Gen. Powell about the political and security situation in the DRC. Kagame said that the presence of ex-FAR/Interahamwe in the DRC continues to pose serious security challenges for the Great Lakes region. He urged the US government to put more pressure on the Kinshasa government to fulfill its commitments under the Lusaka and Pretoria agreements.
Following the talks, President Kagame witnessed the signing of Article 98 on the International Criminal Court (ICC), between Gen. Powell and his counterpart, Foreign Minister Dr. Charles Muligande.
President Kagame was accompanied by Foreign Minister Dr. Charles Muligande, Rwanda’s Ambassador to the US Dr. Richard Sezibera, and the Director of Cabinet in the Presidency, Ambassador Dr Théogčne Rudasingwa, and the National Security Advisor to the President Dr. Emmanuel Ndahiro.
On Tuesday evening, President Kagame met with the USAID administrator, Mr. Andrew Natsios at Blair House Presidential Guesthouse in Washington. President Kagame and Mr. Natsios reviewed USAID funded projects in Rwanda and discussed a range of development issues.
