After
Rwanda's UN
Win, FM
Mushikiwabo
Tells ICP Hege
Leak
"Predictable"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 18 --
After Rwanda
won 148 votes
and a two-year
UN Security
Council seat,
Inner City
Press asked
Foreign
Minister
Louise
Mushikiwabo
about the
leaking, two
days before
the election,
of
the report of
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
Group of
Experts
headed by
Steve Hege.
Minister
Mushikiwabo
said that the
leak before
the election
was
"predictable"
and called
Hege
"problematic"
and suffering
from an
"ideological
hangover."
Inner
City Press
previously
identified and
linked to
Hege's
writings from
2009
downplaying
the danger
posed by the
FDLR militia
-- once linked
to, the
article was
taken off the
Internet.
Mushikiwabo
said
the DRC's
attempt, by
charge
d'affaires
Charlotte Omoy
Malenga,
to interrupt
the voting by
saying Rwanda
was not
qualified was
a
product of
"frustration."
She said that
DRC should see
Rwanda being
on the
Security
Council as
value added.
Inner
City Press
asked
Mushikiwabo
about her
previously
criticism of
the
MONUSCO
peacekeeping
mission: how
should it be
changed? She
said
Rwanda is not
entering as a
revolutionary.
But on some
issues, the
Security
Council and
wider UN need
to be shaken
up. Watch this
site.
Update:
a
Friend on
Inner City
Press made
this
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
Wanted to ask
you, first of
all what do
you think of
DRC's comment
before the
vote and also
this Sanctions
Committee
report that
came out two
days before
the voting
what do you
think of
the timing of
its leaking,
what’s behind
it and what
steps do you
intent to take
when you’re on
the Council?
FM
Mushikiwabo:
First of all,
I think the
attempt by DRC
to interrupt
the voting
process is
unfortunate
but its not
surprising to
Rwanda. We’ve
been dealing
with the
problems in
the DRC for
quite some
time
now. I believe
the DRC should
see Rwanda on
the Security
Council as
value
addition. We
come to this
body quite a
bit of
background
experience and
our own
suggestion on
how to bring
lasting
stability
for the DRC
and the
region. So, we
[see it] as a
gesture of
frustration
and we do hope
that now that
the vote has
been cast the
DRC will have
the same
positive
attitude as we
have in terms
of
finding
positive
solutions to
their issues.
Inner
City Press:
What about the
report that
came out and
if it was
related
to the
election?
FM
Mushikiwabo:
We in Rwanda
tend to
separate this
report of
so-called
experts from
our own
standing in
the UN system.
This report is
flawed because
of individuals
its not a
matter of the
UN system as a
whole and we
made it clear
that the
coordinator of
this group of
experts is a
man whose
problematic.
He has an
ideological
hangover.
He has done a
job that we do
not expect
from anyone
working for
the
UN and we will
deal with that
in the
appropriate
channel and
the
right time. I
think the leak
before this
kind of vote
is
predictable,
it’s part of
the
manipulation,
its part of
the attitude
but we are
happy, Rwanda
is happy that
most people in
this UN are
reasonable.
Inner
City Press:
You spoke
before about
MONUSCO, how
would you try
to
reform it?
FM
Mushikiwabo:
Rwanda is not
coming on the
Security
Council to
bring
revolution. We
are just here
to work with
other
countries, to
give
our own ideas
on what needs
to be done.
Rwanda has
quite the bit
of
experience in
peacekeeping.
We also know
our region in
the continent
very well.
We’ve been in
both Sudan’s
now we have
contributed a
large number
of troops just
to 4,000 for
Darfur. Since
2006 we are
now also in
South Sudan,
we will have
police
presence in
Haiti, we’ve
been in
Liberia and so
I think in all
modesty have
some ideas. So
we just hear
to propose
some of the
good practices
we have seen
with
our own troops
but by all
means we are
here to make a
contribution
not to change
things.
, 
