Citation
LONDON, April 7 (Reuter) - Britain expressed dismay on Thursday at the
deaths of the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, killed in a rocket
attack on their plane, and said it hoped a regional peace process would
not be derailed.
``It was particularly tragic that the incident came at a time when
countries of the region had just met in Tanzania to attempt to find a
long-term solution to the inter-ethnic conflicts of Rwanda and
Burundi,'' a Foreign Office spokesman said.
Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, 57, and Burundi President
Cyprien Ntaryamira, 38, were flying together on Wednesday from Tanzania
where they had attended a peace summit.
``We hope that this tragedy will not derail the peace process...that all
parties will refrain from further acts of violence and continue to
direct their efforts to resolving the inter-ethnic problems,'' the
Foreign Office spokesman said.
Rwanda and Burundi have been ravaged by conflict between their Hutu
majorities and Tutsi minorities. Both dead presidents were Hutus.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
