Britain plans meeting between Ugandan, Rwandan presidents

The British government has planned a reconciliatory meeting between President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in January next year, a British diplomat has said.

Linda St. Cooke, second secretary in charge of political and public affairs from the British high commission here was quoted Wednesday by local press as saying that the meeting brokered by Britain, had first been planned for December.

Sources said high on the agenda would be the tension over reports that Rwanda is training Ugandan dissidents.

Acting permanent secretary of the Ugandan foreign ministry James Mugume said the venue and the date of the meeting had not been fixed.

Uganda last week expelled a Rwandan diplomat in Kampala Jimmy Uwuizeye, for what the Ugandan foreign ministry described as activities incompatible with his diplomatic status.

In retaliation, Rwanda expelled a Ugandan second secretary in Kigali, John Cliff Birungi, over similar allegations.

During the last meeting chaired by British Secretary for International Development Hillary Ben in London early this year, the two presidents agreed to investigate and resolve all outstanding complaints against each other.

Tension between Uganda and Rwanda heightened after their armiesclashed thrice in 1999 and 2000 in the northeastern Congolese city of Kisangani.

Relations were strained further following allegations by Ugandan security officials that Rwanda supported the former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye and the People's Redemption Army (PRA) rebels to oust the Kampala regime.

Source: Xinhua