PRESS CONFERENCE BY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BURUNDI

27 August 1996

Press Briefing

19960827 FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY

At a Headquarters press conference this morning, the Permanent Representative of Burundi to the United Nations, Ambassador Nsanze Terence, said the country's new leader was committed to launching a new democratic process, including dialogue with all ethnic groups and the establishment of a transitional national assembly.

The economic blockade imposed by his country's neighbours and the arms embargo reportedly planned by the Security Council were illegal and contrary to the Charters of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United Nations, he continued. The blockade contravened provisions of the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea and the African Charter on Human Rights.

Ambassador Terence said his government "categorically rejected" the draft Council proposals which were "unjust and illegal". (The Council had scheduled a public debate on the situation in Burundi for Wednesday, 28 August). He said it would be illogical and unacceptable for the new regime to be penalized for the "sins, or crimes or short-comings" of the previous government. The Security Council should wait until the new regime had "proven to be incompetent, unqualified or engaged in any atrocities against the populations" before acting. Its actions then could be justified, he added.

Instead of the arms embargo, he thought the Council should "resort to a more constructive, productive and beneficial diplomatic dynamics". He said his government had formally proposed the establishment of an ad hoc mission by the Security Council to be dispatched to Burundi and the Great Lakes region. The fact-finding mission would allow the Council to take account of the current realities and the disastrous consequences of the economic sanctions imposed by Burundi's neighbours.

Since his "accession to power" on 25 July, he said the new Burundi President, Major Pierre Buyoya had "solemnly and unequivocally" committed his regime to put an end to the massacres and all forms of violence and criminality and to work towards durable peace and security in the country. He was committed to dialogue with the armed factions on the condition that they lay down their arms, renounce violence and "the Nazi ideologies of extermination and genocide".

A national debate was to be inaugurated in November to bring together all ethnic groups and people of all political ideologies to work on a new constitution and the establishment of democratic institutions. The new regime also was committed, he said, to the establishment of a transitional national assembly whose structure and composition would be based on the previous parliamentary body with representatives of civil society more adapted to "the current realities" and empowered to play a decisive role in the national debate and in initiatives leading to national reconciliation. The national assembly was scheduled to start functioning next October. He told journalists that shortly before the press conference, he had been informed by his foreign ministry that talks had already begun between the regime and national assembly members on the formation of a new assembly. In addition, he said the former assembly members would be paid their salaries until the new body was called into session.

The new regime was further committed to requesting persons accused by the International Commission of Inquiry with responsibility in the assassination of the President of Burundi and in the genocide of 1993 to step down from their positions and to face competent courts until their innocence or guilt was proven. Documents containing the regime's programmes and initiatives had been transmitted to the President of the Security Council for distribution to all Council members, he said.

Ambassador Terence said the effects of the sanctions imposed by Burundi's neighbours could be seen in the daily worsening of the national economy, already seriously affected by the political and social crisis. It was also hitting hard the most vulnerable groups, such as displaced persons, women, children and the elderly. Food was scarce and sanitary conditions were deteriorating. Hospitals had been paralyzed by lack of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and security for medical workers. Lack of fuel in the hospitals was leading to premature deaths of numerous new-born infants. There had been an outbreak of deadly epidemics such as cholera. What difference was there between "genocide by fire-arms and weapons and genocide by mass starvation and generalized diseases?" he asked.

He also said that since the coup "no single member of the former government or parliament" had been arrested. Officials who sought refuge in foreign embassies had reappeared except the former president who was still in the United States embassy, and eight others who were in foreign embassies. The Archbishop of Bujumbura had been carrying out shuttle negotiations between the former president and the current one "in order to have the former president enjoy his status as ex-president with full security".

He said allegations by Amnesty International that 6,000 civilians had been killed since the coup were outragous fabrications by an organization known for notoriously biased positions.

Briefing on Burundi - 3 - 27 August 1996

Asked about the possibility of power-sharing, he said the new regime was "ethnically mixed". He also told another correspondent that the imposition of economic sanctions was a violation of Articles 39, 41 and 42 of the United Nations Charter which covered action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression. Conditions set out in those provisions had not been fulfilled in the case of Burundi. Articles 53 and 54 of the Charter which dealt with action by regional arrangements required the authorization of the Security Council for any economic sanctions to be imposed. The neighbouring countries were wrong to take those measures.

He said that if those countries acted because they were peace-loving or were democratically oriented, they should have "checked" with the new government to find out if it was prepared to restore the democratic process, or negotiate with other political groups entitled to share power. No country in the region made contact with the regime, he said. "On all grounds, no pretext could have allowed them to inflict the untimely and illegal sanctions", he added.

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