§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the mandate of the enhanced peacekeeping force in Rwanda; and when it is intended that the force will be in place.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe Security Council resolution on Rwanda passed on 16 May—SCR 918—expands the mandate of the United Nations Aid Mission in Rwanda, as set out in SCR 912, to include the following tasks:
- (a) To contribute to the security and protection of displaced civilians at risk in Rwanda, including through the establishment and maintenance, where feasible, of secure humanitarian areas;
- (b) To provide security and support for the distribution of relief supplies and humanitarian relief operations.
SCR 918 requests the Secretary-General to proceed immediately with the deployment of military observers currently stationed in Nairobi, and the strengthening of the United Nations mechanised battalion in Kigali to 800 personnel. The Secretary-General will report again soon to the Security Council on the next stage of deployment.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have pledged troops and in what numbers for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Rwanda.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggConsultations continue between the United Nations and potential new troop contributors. No details have yet been confirmed.
The Secretary-General is due to report to the Security Council in the near future about, interalia, the resources available for the operation.
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§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions are being taken to co-ordinate military and humanitarian activity following the United Nation's decision to increase its military presence in Rwanda.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, working together with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department for Humanitarian Affairs in the United Nations secretariat, is responsible for ensuring effective co-ordination between United Nations military and humanitarian activity on the ground.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in respect of each side in the conflict in Rwanda in the context of ending the bloodshed.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe main priority is for an end to the fighting and we continue to urge all parties to implement a ceasefire and end the bloodshed. We fully support the efforts of the United Nations and the Organisation for African Unity and regional leaders to bring the fighting to an end.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what forward planning he and the international community are making to prevent the spread of the Rwandan conflict into Burundi.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe international community is concerned that the Rwandan conflict should not spread into Burundi. A good offices and fact-finding mission has been deployed by the United Nations Security Council and OAU observers are also in place. Their aim is to assist the Government of Burundi to restore democratic institutions, rebuild confidence and stabilise the internal situation.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Rwanda about genocide.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydNo representations have been made to the Government of Rwanda about genocide. A special session of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights will shortly take place at which atrocities committed in Rwanda will be considered.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to ensure that no British arms will be sold to the Rwandan Government.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydOn 16 May, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 918 which imposes a mandatory arms embargo on Rwanda. In the United Kingdom this will be administered by the export control organisation of the Department of Trade and Industry.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the French Government about the supply of arms to the Rwandan Government.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydNo representations have been made to the French Government about the supply of arms to the Rwandan Government. On 16 May, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 918 which imposes a44W mandatory arms embargo on Rwanda. All countries, including France, will be bound to comply with the terms of the embargo.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his analysis of the causes of the conflict in Rwanda and of which party is the main cause of deaths in that country.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydTutsi domination of Rwanda's political and economic life ended in 1959. Since then Rwanda has repeatedly been the scene of mass killings and the flight of large numbers of Tutsis and some Hutus to neighbouring countries. There have also been repeated attempts by Tutsis to come back to power, each attempt giving rise to renewed ethnic violence and hatred. Reports indicate that the worst atrocities in the current conflict appear to be occurring in areas then controlled by the interim Government of Rwanda.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made as to whether the Government of Rwanda is contravening the United Nations convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide; and what action he is proposing to take to activate article IV of the convention to punish genocide.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIn its declaration of 16 May, the Foreign Affairs Council appealed to all parties to the conflict to bring an end to the genocide. The United Nations Security Council, in its resolution 918, asked the Secretary-General to report as soon as possible on the investigations of serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda.