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CHARLES KRAUSE: The President and First Lady arrived in the Rwandan
capital of Kigali this morning, the third stop of their 11-day Africa
tour. For security reasons the President could go no further than the
airport where he was welcomed by Rwanda's President Pasteur Bizimungu.
During his three-hour stop in Rwanda, the President apologized for the
international community's failure to stop the genocide that occurred
in that country four years ago. In 1994, Rwandan Hutus killed more than
half a million Tutsis, as well as Hutu moderates during a series of
tribal and political massacres.
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PRESIDENT CLINTON: It may seem strange to you here, especially the many
of you who lost members of your family, but all over the world there
were people like me sitting in offices, day after day after day, who
did not fully appreciate the depth and the speed with which you were
being engulfed by this unimaginable terror. The international community,
together with nations in Africa, must bear its share of responsibility
for this tragedy as well. We did not act quickly enough after the killing
began. We should not have allowed the refugee camps to become safe haven
for the killers. (Applause) We did not immediately call these crimes
by their rightful name: genocide. (Applause) We cannot change the past.
But we can and must do everything in our power to help you build a future
without fear and full of hope.
CHARLES KRAUSE: Toward that end, Mr. Clinton announced that the U.S.
would become the first contributor to a survivors fund, promising $2
million this year. The President also promised another $30 million to
strengthen courts and the justice systems in Rwanda, Burundi, and the
Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr. Clinton also urged that trials of
Rwandans accused of genocide be expedited. The President returned to
Uganda this afternoon to attend a summit meeting with leaders from East
Africa and the Great Lakes nations of Central Africa. At the meeting
the President and the seven African leaders signed a declaration condemning
acts of genocide and promising to deny support and safe havens to extremist
groups.
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