VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLGB #0138 0421318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111318Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3749

UNCLAS KIGALI 000138 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KNNP RW
SUBJECT: RWANDA: AFRICA COMMAND, UNSC RESOLUTION 1737 ON 
IRAN 
 
REF: A. STATE 14457 
 
     ¶B. STATE 14071 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On February 8, Mission presented talking points on 
the new Africa Command, and on UN Security Council Resolution 
1737, to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for IO and the 
Americas Ben Rutsinga.  Rutsinga welcomed the announcement of 
the Africa Command.  He commented that, given Rwanda's 
ongoing ACOTA training program and other mil-mil support, the 
prospect of a command focused exclusively on Africa would 
likely mean even greater cooperation and interaction with 
American military personnel.  With counter-terrorism a 
concern in east Africa, he assumed that the new Africa 
command would offer useful support for concerned governments. 
 
¶2.   (SBU) On UNSC Resolution 1737 concerning Iran's nuclear 
program, he noted that Rwanda had no real ties with Iran.  No 
Iranian ambassador had been accredited to Kigali (including 
the Iranian ambassador in Kampala), and there were no real 
economic or cultural links. "An odd student or two may have 
studied in Iran's islamic universities," he said, but no 
more.  Iran lobbied Rwanda at the UN, he said, "and that is 
the extent of their influence."  On that basis, there was 
little for Rwanda to keep an eye on, he said, regarding 
commercial ties and requests for credit.  They simply didn't 
exist.  Rutsinga endorsed the concept of an international 
community working together to prevent the spread of nuclear 
weapons, and he said that any irresponsible government 
seeking such weapons "should be stopped." 
ARIETTI