Gisozi, Rwanda - The Belgian Prime Minister, Mr Guy Verhofstadt, asked forgiveness yesterday "in the name of my country" from Rwanda for the 1994 genocide which claimed up to 800,000 lives. At a national ceremony commemorating the sixth anniversary of the bloodbath, Mr Verhofstadt said: "In the name of my country, I bow before the victims of the genocide. In the name of my country, I ask your forgiveness.
"I confirm that the international community as a whole carries a huge and heavy responsibility in the genocide. Here before you I assume the responsibility of my country, the Belgian political and military authorities," he told top Rwandan officials attending the ceremony along with several thousand people gathered on a hillside.
The Belgian prime minister, leading the first high-level delegation from Rwanda's former colonial power since the genocide, added: "So that Rwanda can look towards the future, towards reconciliation, we must first assume our responsibilities and recognise our faults."