(RTTNews) - France and Rwanda have agreed to restore diplomatic ties, three years after they severed relations following a diplomatic row over each others involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, said officials on Monday.

Rwanda's foreign minister Rosemary Museminali said Monday that the decision to restore ties between the two countries was taken by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his French counterpart Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris on Sunday.

"The meeting which they had with our president culminated into Rwanda together with France deciding that we reopen the process of normalizing relations, which will include among other things reopening our embassies both in Paris and in Kigali," she said.

Meanwhile, Paris also confirmed the decision to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries, with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner saying that the move was the successful "culmination of a long and patient effort between Paris and Kigali."
In November 2006, Rwanda cut off diplomatic relations with France after a French judge accused President Paul Kagame of involvement in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, in which over 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in a period of 100 days.

The French judge's allegation came after Paris launched an investigation into downing of President Habyarimana's plane, which had a French crew on board when it was shot down. Rwanda, in turn, responded to the French allegation stating that Paris supplied the Hutu rebels with arms during the genocide.

In the 1994 Rwandan genocide, over 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in a period of 100 days. It was prompted by the assassination of then Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, and were finally halted after Tutsi-led militias supporting Rwandan President Paul Kagame ousted the then ruling Hutu government, which supported the massacre.

The restoration of diplomatic ties between Rwanda and France comes a day after the French-speaking African country was admitted into the 53-member Commonwealth nations, which is mainly made up of English-speaking nations.

by RTT Staff Writer

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