18 12 12 Readout of the President’s Call with President Kagame

Office of the Press
Secretary

FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December
18, 2012

President Obama spoke today
with President Kagame to discuss the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC).  President Obama underscored that any support to the rebel
group M23 is inconsistent with Rwanda’s desire for stability and peace.
President Obama emphasized to President Kagame the importance of permanently
ending all support to armed groups in the DRC, abiding by the recent commitments
he made in Kampala along with Presidents Kabila and Museveni, and reaching a
transparent and credible political agreement that includes an end to impunity
for M23 commanders and others who have committed serious human rights abuses. 
President Obama expressed his belief that from this crisis should emerge a
political agreement that addresses the underlying regional security, economic,
and governance issues while upholding the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity and noted that he had also delivered this message to President
Kabila.  President Obama and President Kagame also discussed the longstanding
governance problems in the DRC.  President Obama welcomed President Kagame’s
commitment to moving forward in finding a peaceful solution for eastern
DRC.