The former French prime minister Edouard Balladur made the comments during an interview with FRANCE 24 and RFI, during which he strongly rejected the recent findings of a historical commission investigating France's role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, according to which Paris bears “heavy and overwhelming responsibilities” in the chain of events that led to the slaughter of ethnic Tutsis.
Balladur, who served as prime minister between 1993 and 1995, said it was unfair to criticize France when the United Nations and other countries failed to intervene to prevent the massacres.
"I did my utmost to ensure that France would not be blamed for being passive and indifferent," Balladur claimed, adding that he was "full of admiration" for what French peacekeepers did.
The historical commission set up by President Emmanuel Macron ruled last month that France reacted too slowly in appreciating the extent of the horror that left over 800,000 dead. However, the commission cleared Paris of complicity in the slaughter.
Meanwhile, a report which was compiled by a special investigative commission published in late March, accused senior French officials, including the then French president, of supporting Hutu elements in the Rwandan government responsible for months of killing in 1994.
KI/PR
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