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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
BURUNDI: Leaders praise Pretoria agreement
NAIROBI, 9 October 2003 (IRIN) - Described by rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza as "sunshine after the rain", the power sharing agreement he signed on Wednesday with the transitional government of Burundi has received acclaim from the international community that described it as a major step towards peace in the war-torn central African state.
In separate statements, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the EU, the African Union (AU) and the US government said the agreement between the Burundian government and the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) was a significant step in the integration of the rebel movement in the country's peace process and in its political and military institutions.
Annan urged all Burundians to seize the opportunity to bring about peace and reconciliation in the country. He reiterated the UN's commitment to remain engaged in helping Burundians pursue peace.
Welcoming the deal aimed at ending Burundi's 10-year civil war, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the agreement was the most significant development in the Burundi's peace process since the Arusha Peace Accords were signed in August 2000.
"We commend the courage of Burundian President [Domitien] Ndayizeye and rebel group chairman Pierre Nkurunziza in reaching a peaceful resolution to the devastating conflict which has beset Burundi since 1993," Boucher said on Wednesday.
He said the US was confident that the Burundian government and the CNDD-FDD would continue with their efforts and resolve the few remaining issues during their next meeting due to take place in Pretoria, South Africa, in two weeks.
Among the unresolved issues are those concerning the Senate, temporary immunity for the rebels and the technical agreement on the armed forces.
"We once again call on the rebel forces of the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People-Forces for National Liberation under the command of Agathon Rwasa to immediately cease fighting and seek a peaceful resolution of their grievances," Boucher said.
Rwasa's group is the only rebel faction that is yet to enter into peace negotiations with the Burundian government.
The AU appealed to those still outside the peace process, particularly the FNL, to enter into negotiations immediately with the government "so that at last the Burundian people will be free from violence which, for a number of years now, has become a daily reality".
The EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy, Javier Solana, said all international actors should intensify their efforts to help make Pretoria accord work.
"This accord would not have been possible without the unrelenting efforts of South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda," he said.
Upon his return on Wednesday to the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, Ndayizeye said they had also discussed the FNL during the Pretoria talks.
"We believe the Burundi defence forces will keep the necessary elements to continue to fight the movement as long as it has not stopped the war and not joined the negotiations," Radio Burundi quoted Ndayizeye as saying.
He dismissed FNL claims that the government had given the CNDD-FDD everything without considering other rebel groups.
"The objective is to first achieve peace but we also know that to obtain peace we must accept to share what we have," the radio quoted Ndayizeye as saying. "If they read the agreement closely, they will find that they have been included somewhere."
On his part, the radio quoted Nkurunziza as ordering his combatants to cease hostilities, immediately, with the Burundian army. Radio Burundi reported that Nkurunziza said that the capacity that Burundians had shown for destroying the country should manifest itself in its reconstruction.
Meanwhile, news agencies reported on Wednesday that the FNL had dismissed the Pretoria agreement as a "non-event." The AFP quoted FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana as saying that the Pretoria deal was not a solution to Burundi's problem.
More than 200,000 people have been killed since the civil war broke out in October 1993.
Themes: (IRIN) Conflict, (IRIN) Governance
[ENDS]
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