PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF BURUNDI

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF BURUNDI

At a Headquarters press conference this morning, Pierre Buyoya, President of Burundi, appealed to the international community to lift the "illegal and unjust" sanctions imposed on his country in 1996. The sanctions constrained the most vulnerable people and posed the greatest threat to the peace process in Burundi.

Following the genocide that had threatened Burundi two years ago, an important peace process had been initiated, aimed at building a political solution on which lasting reconciliation could be founded, he said. The internal peace process was the cornerstone for reconciliation. Peace in Burundi was a matter for the people of the country themselves. The internal approach was also the basis on which external efforts towards peace were founded.

In June 1998, the internal peace process had entered a decisive phase, he said. A joint approach taken by the Government and the Parliament had led to an important agreement on a political platform for the transition regime. A basic text had been created that defined the mission of transition institutions regarding the fundamental issues facing the people of Burundi: peace, democracy, genocide, justice, security, the homeless and the economy.

Following negotiations between the Government and the National Assembly, a transitional constitution had been enacted in June, which had solved the problem of constitutional deadlock, he said. A broad-sweeping Government had been set up, and an expanded Parliament established. Today, that internal partnership was focusing on strengthening peace in the country.

Despite the efforts undertaken by the people, Parliament and Government of Burundi, the illegal and unjust sanctions imposed against the country in July 1996 posed the greatest threat to the peace process, reconciliation and stability, he said. The sanctions had been decided upon in haste, and were devoid of any political, legal or moral basis. Referring to the situation as nonsensical, he noted that the sanctions had constrained the most vulnerable people and had hampered peace efforts.

He said the conditions established by the sanctions regime had already been implemented, and he urged the sponsors of the sanctions to stick to their commitments and to lift the constraints without any additional burdens. He invited the international community to exert pressure for the sanctions to be lifted, and he called for international support for Burundi. Burundi needed the support of all its friends in its efforts towards reconstruction and in terms of assistance for displaced people.

Burundi was a part of the Great Lakes region -- a region in transition, he continued. The events in the Democratic Republic of Congo were a subject of great concern to his country. Burundi was not in any way involved in that war, and did not wish to take any vengeance on the Democratic Republic of

Congo. Like its neighbours, Burundi was affected by the negative consequences of that critical situation in terms of its security and economy. The Government of Burundi continued to promote a peaceful solution based on dialogue.

He said the economic future of the Great Lakes region was closely linked with efforts to establish sound regional economic practices. Such practices, however, required stability and the restoration of peace. "We must rid ourselves of embargoes and political regimes involving genocide; we must disarm the militia; we must restore sovereignty and the independence of States", he added.

Burundi was committed to peace, he said. He appealed to the international community to support the internal partnership for peace, and added that, to be effective, international support was required now.

A correspondent asked what was being done to promote ethnic reconciliation and understanding between Hutu and Tutsi in Burundi. President Buyoya said the conflict in Burundi had taken on an ethnic tinge only because it had begun as a political conflict. It was a struggle for power that had a long-standing history. Over time, it had taken on an ethnic aspect.

Measures to improve understanding between the two ethnic groups included the entire process of reconciliation, he continued. The citizens of Burundi needed to know that they were a part of one country. They needed to take up the problem that had pitted them against each other -- power. They needed to be able to share power over a long period and govern together. Efforts to achieve this were under way through the process of political partnership. There was also a need to take on the fundamental problems that had crystallized the conflict: security, development and justice. Those problems were the subject of debate among the citizens of Burundi, who themselves would find a way to tackle these issues over time.

A correspondent asked about foreign involvement in the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- how was it possible to get other countries out of the Democratic Republic? President Buyoya said he favoured a peaceful solution to the conflict. There should be dialogue between the citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo to find solutions to the country's problems and to discuss its future. For that country and for others, people from the outside, no matter who they might be, would not have any lasting solutions.

The problems of the Democratic Republic of Congo should be resolved so that the citizens of the country themselves could find a way to live together, he continued. It should also be determined how the security of the Democratic Republic and of neighbouring countries could be assured. The issue, therefore, took on a regional aspect, as it was clear that if

Burundi Press Release - 3 - 22 September 1998

neighbouring countries did not feel safe, their insecurity would continue to be a festering source of conflict.

Would the President support a plan to encourage the countries involved in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo to leave? the correspondent asked. President Buyoya said that it was not up to him to say who was, and who was not involved in the conflict, and therefore who should leave. Sticking to principles, he believed that a peaceful approach was the way to ensure that the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo could decide on their future themselves. Security in the Democratic Republic and in neighbouring countries also needed to be ensured.

In principle, no country should have the right to become involved in the internal affairs of another country, although a country could call upon any other country to assist it in establishing security, he said. That was a broad principle, and no exception should be made in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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