US embassy cable - 05BRUSSELS2344

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 002344 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM/AFR; AF/C; EUR/ERA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2015 
TAGS: PREF, RW, BY, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: EU ON FORCED RETURN OF RWANDAN ASYLUM SEEKERS 
 
REF: (A) STATE (B) BRUSSELS 2091 
 
Classified By: PRMOFF MARC J. MEZNAR.  REASONS 1/4 (B) AND (D). 
 
1. (U) PRMOff raised reftel points with DG Development 
Burundi/Rwanda desk officer Dietmar Krissler and EU Council 
Secretariat General officer for Central Africa Peter Clausen. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
2. (C) Krissler said that during Commissioner Louis Michel's 
meeting with Rwandan President Kagame on June 1 and a 
subsequent telephone conversation with Burundian President 
Ndayizeye, he expressed the EU's concern over the developing 
situation regarding the Rwandan asylum seekers in Burundi. 
Michel appealed for both countries to cooperate with the 
UNHCR and to respect international humanitarian law. 
According to Krissler, President Kagame said that the flight 
of the Rwandans was an obstacle to national reconciliation; 
rumors had provoked their departure.  Rwanda's desire for 
their return coincided with Burundi,s objective to get them 
out. 
 
3. (C) The EU dispatched its Special Envoy for the Great 
Lakes Aldo Ajello to Burundi on June 15 to assess the 
situation.  Despite the forced expulsions, the EU is 
reluctant to apply pressure on either government. 
Commissioner Michel is reportedly sympathetic to Rwanda's 
plight.  Furthermore, the holding of democratic elections in 
Burundi is a high priority for the EU and the refugee dynamic 
was seen as a potentially destabilizing factor.  Krissler 
also said that the possibility of tension in the region is 
very high with the scheduled end of the transitional 
government in the DRC on June 30. 
 
4. (C) At this point, there does not seem much willingness on 
the part of either the EC or the Member States to issue a 
strong statement, similar to the one made by the U.S., or to 
take punitive measures against either Rwanda or Burundi. 
 
SCHNABEL 
.