BOTH SIDES WERE DIFFICULT, SAYS BEARDSLEY

Arusha, February 3, 2004 (FH) –The former assistant to General Dallaire when the genocide took place in 1994, Major Brent Beardsley on Tuesday revealed before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) that both the RPF and government sides were difficult in implementing the Arusha peace Accord. Major Beardsley was being cross-examined in the so-called “Military I” by Mr.

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Raphael Constant (France), the lead counsel for former Chief of Cabinet in the Ministry of defense, Colonel Theoneste Bagosora. The major told the court was that both the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) and the Rwandan government Forces (RGF) had problems “not with the agreement but with the implementation of the peace accord,” adding that “there wasn't any party that agreed with everything, it was a negotiation that went back and forth. ”One aspect that brought discord in the Arusha Peace accord was where it stipulated that the RPF battalion be given a place in Kigali. In his earlier testimony the witness had implied that it was the government side that had problems accommodating the RPF. “Bagosora and his government team were very confrontational regarding how the RPF battalion will be supported in Kigali and where they would be situated”. “RGF were not offering locations” he had said. “Wasn't it the RPF that refused four locations offered to them before settling down for the CND (the Parliament)?” the defense counsel challenged the witness. “The problem was on both sides,” the witness acknowledged. The major was then asked whether he was aware that the government, which was spoken for by Bagosora, had offered to provide supplies to the RPF but that the RPF had refused. “Based on the fact that food could be poisoned and the RPF were not happy with the governments business contracting methods which allowed it to make money because the RPF were there, the RPF refused,” major Beardsley retorted. The witness also revealed to the court that both parties sent delegates to the UN headquarters in New York to request UNAMIR to be in Rwanda before the 10th of September 1993, so as to fasten the establishment of the broad-based transitional government. Earlier, the witness had only mentioned the visit by Mr. Patrick Mazimpaka, an RPF delegate. The broad based transitional government was part of the Arusha peace accord, it involved power sharing among the political parties involved. In the so-called “Military I” trial Bagosora is jointly accused with the former chief of operations of the former Rwandan army. Brigadier Gratien Kabiligi, the former military commander of Gisenyi region, Colonel Anatole Nsengiyumva, and Major Aloys Ntabakuze, who was the commander of the Para-commando battalion based In Kanombe (Kigali). All have pleaded not guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. The trial continues on Wednesday and it is in Trial Chamber One of the ICTR composed of Judge Erik Møse from Norway, Judge Serguei Aleckseievich Egorov from Russia, and Judge Jai Ram Reddy of Fiji. SV/CE/FH (ML'0203eeee)