At
UN, Rwanda
Questions 75mm
Rockets, Fake
IDs &
Hege's
Articles
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 28 --
The Rwanda
delegation
of four was
the first to
arrive, ten
minutes early,
for Tuesday
afternoon's
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
Sanctions
Committee
meeting at the
UN.
Azerbaijan's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
told Inner
City Press he
would be the
"acting chair"
of the closed
door meeting.
Outside, the
Permanent
Representative
of another
African
country moaned
to Inner
City Press
that it was a
"shame that
Rwanda and DRC
come so far
to fight in
front of
Azerbaijan."
After
more than an
hour, the
Rwandan
delegation
came out.
Inner City
Press
asked if a
range of
issues had
come up, from
the 75 mm
cannons used
by the M23
that the Group
of Experts say
must have come
from Rwanda,
to GoE
coordinator
Steve Hege
to alleged
Rwandan
officer Javier
Saddat.
Each
of these
issues, and
more, came up
in the closed
door meeting,
Inner City
Press
exclusively
learned. Of
the
75 mm cannon,
or recoilless
rockets,
Rwanda noted
that this
equipment
was in the
possession of
the Congolese
FARDC, and
subsequently
integrated
CNDP, in 2008
and 2009.
Of
Javier Saddat,
Rwanda said he
was with the
CNDP and then
with the
Congolese army
since 2009.
But it was a
Congolese
soldier which
complained to
them that
Javier Saddat
is being
"treated like
a
foreigner and
tortured."
Particular
criticism
was reserved
for
coordinator
Steve Hege.
Inner City
Press
previously
first pointed
to two
articles he
published in
2009 about
the
FDLR -- one
was taken down
quickly off
Scribd after
Inner City
Press
linked to it.
We continue to
await an
explanation of
this. The UN
told Inner
City Press it vetted
Hege.
Of
Hege, Rwanda
on Tuesday
said that "a
line that has
been crossed
by the
coordinator of
the Group of
Experts. We
expect any
member to
have views,
baggage, but
here a line
has been
crossed. You
[pointed
to] two of his
articles....
in one of them
he said the
international
community is
souring on
Rwanda. We say
he's been
given the
tools to
do precisely
that."
There
are other
questions for
Hege, ranging
for alleged
radio
intercepts to
claiming the
presence of
one Jack (or
"Jacques")
Nziza on
the Congolese
border when
Rwanda says
there are more
than 100 alibi
witnesses,
including
diplomats.
We'll have
more on
this.
Inner City
Press believes
there is a
need for more
accountability
at the UN,
including of sanctions
"experts."
Watch this
site.
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