CAN CARTER HEAL RWANDAN WOUNDS?

Jimmy Carter is back on the peace beat, this time at a summit in Egypt to negotiate with central African leaders so that two million Rwandan refugees can return home. The former President met today in Cairo with leaders from Zaire, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi, none of whom wants to host the refugees much longer. But Nairobi bureau chief Andrew Purvis says Carter is unlikely to persuade the frightened Hutu refugees to return home amid fears of revenge attacks by Tutsis and moderate Hutus who were systematically slaughtered during the genocidal Rwandan civil war last year. "The refugees simply won't leave unless forced to by troops," Purvis says. "While it's helpful to have someone with the stature of Jimmy Carter bringing the various parties to the table, the rift between the Hutus and the Tutsis is too wide to be solved in just a few days by well-meaning leaders in Cairo."