France on Wednesday accused Rwanda of making ”unacceptable accusations” by alleging that Paris played an active role in the 1994 genocide, but said it was still determined to rekindle ties with Kigali.
A 500-page report released on Tuesday by Kigali alleges that France was aware of preparations for the genocide, and that French forces in Rwanda contributed to planning the massacres and actively took part in the killing.
It names 13 senior politicians and 20 military officials as responsible and raises the prospect of Rwandan legal action against them.
”This report contains unacceptable accusations made against French political and military officials,” French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal told reporters.
Nadal added that France had not received the report through ”official channels”.
”It is possible to question the objectivity of the mandate of this ‘independent commission charged by the Rwandan authorities to gather evidence showing the implication of the French state in the genocide carried out in Rwanda in 1994’,” he said, quoting the official title of the Rwandan inquiry.
But Nadal suggested France would not let the report further sour relations between Paris and Kigali, which severed diplomatic ties in November 2006.
”Our determination to build a new relationship with Rwanda, moving beyond our difficult past, remains intact,” he said.
The spokesperson highlighted the meeting in December between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, and a subsequent visit to Kigali by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as evidence of warming ties.
”We continue to place our relationship with Rwanda within this forward-looking perspective,” he said. — Sapa-AFP