The
Rwandan government has dismissed a report by a U.N. panel of experts which
accuses Kigali of supporting Tutsi rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda.
The report, which the U.N. Security Council is expected to debate
later this week, recommends expanding a list of individuals and
firms facing U.N. sanctions for supporting rebels in Congo.
Kennedy
Ndahiro, executive editor of The New Times, Rwanda's first daily
newspaper, told VOA from Kigali, the Rwandan
government has described the report as bias and inaccurate.
"The minister of foreign
affairs has now said the whole thing is a U.N.
failure. He said the U.N. has failed (to resolve the conflict) in Congo and so
it is turning around to blame other people. Actually Rwanda said the report has
got no basis," he said.
Ndahiro
said Rwanda also dismissed the report's conclusion that Kigali has been helping
renegade general Laurent Nkunda's rebel group known as the CNDP.
"The
thing is so funny because right now as we are speaking, Rwanda and Congo have
just signed a historical agreement whereby Rwanda and Congo will work together
to approach the Rwanda rebels in the Congo. And then to find out that U.N. is
bringing up this report at this time. So they wonder what is the motivation for
this report at this time. And so Rwanda said that this guy is trying to cover
their failures," Ndahiro said.
He said the Rwandan government also rejected
the panel's conclusion of CNDP rebels having Rwanda bank count.
"Everyone
can open a bank account, and opening a bank account in Rwanda by a Congolese
national is just like they can open a bank account anywhere. The foreign
minister said Nkunda's group is well organized; it's organized in many
countries, in Europe, in America, and in Africa and everywhere. And in this
case they are collecting money. They've got ways of collecting money through
the Internet and stuff like that," he said.
Ndahiro
said the Rwandan government also rejected the panel's claim Congo rebels
telephone logs originating from Rwanda.
"The
government said the telephone logs are a joke because they are saying these
guys of have been putting pressure on us to talk to Nkunda, to try and help
them out. But when it comes talking to Nkunda there is no way you can contact
Nkunda without calling him. And the government also said that they are not the
only ones who are calling Nkunda. They said even world leaders are calling
Nkunda," Ndahiro said.