By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, February 12 – When Rwanda foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo came to the UN Security Council on Tuesday the debate was the Protection of Civilians, which she told Inner City Press is “a very important topic for Rwanda.”
On that, Inner City Press asked Minister Mushikiwabo about what's called the political framework and about a talk the day previous by the US State Department's Johnnie Carson in which the year-end sanctions on the M23 were mentioned, but not those on the FDLR militia.
“M23 is there because of insecurity that came with FDLR,” Minister Mushikiwabo told Inner City Press. “We have to think differently.”
On the political framework, which was NOT signed as Eight Plus One and has now grown to Eleven Plus One, Minister Mushikiwabo said “it's a good framework, it's a sort of pact of the neighbors and the DRC itself and the international community.”
She said, “I hope partners in the region who were not ready now are, that's what we hear, I am ready to go to Addis any time” to sign the framework.
Stepping back, when Rwanda was elected along with four other countries to the Security Council, some including Human Rights Watch focused exclusively on Rwanda as the incoming member that would cause problems for international peace and security.
Forty days in, it seems that the inclusion and Presidency of South Korea has played a role at least in the timing of North Korea's nuclear test.
Inner City Press on Tuesday asked South Korean foreign minister Kim Sung-hwan whether South Korea thinks or acknowledges that the timing of the nuclear test is related to its new membership on the Security Council and especially its presidency this month.
“We can guess,” Kim Sung-hwan replied. So can we. Watch this site.
