France and Rwanda agree to restore ties

 Seattle Pi Europe

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARIS -- The French presidency says

France and Rwanda have agreed

to restore diplomatic ties three years

after they were cut off amid

tensions over a

French judicial investigation.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's office

says his chief of staff, Claude Gueant,

has met with Rwandan President

Paul Kagame in the African

nation's capital. It says the men

agreed Sunday "to re-establish

diplomatic relations between

the two countries."

Rwanda decided in November 2006

to break diplomatic ties with

France after a French investigating

judge accused Kagame of ordering

the 1994 assassination of Rwandan

President Juvenal Habyarimana.

The downing of the plane sparked (?)

the violence that led to the

slaughter of more than 500,000 people,

mainly Tutsis and moderate Hutus,

in less than 100 days.

Link here

--
J-L K
Sent from Kigali, Rwanda