8 October 2002
The 18th Summit meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the Regional Peace initiative on Burundi met in Dar Es Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania) on the 6th and 7th of October 2002.
I fully welcome the decisions of the Summit, as I believe these have provided the much-needed direction and way forward regarding the peace process in Burundi in general, and the ceasefire negotiations in particular.
The summit also took place amid an encouraging atmosphere, as two armed movements, the Palipehutu/FNL led by Alain Mugabarabona and the CNDD-FDD of Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye signed the ceasefire agreement with Burundi's President Pierre Buyoya. The negotiations with the Palipehutu/FNL ran parallel to the Summit yesterday and a lot of effort went into ensuring that the talks were concluded positively.
We congratulate the movements on this milestone, as they have chosen to put their country and its people first. They have demonstrated to other belligerents that the only road to stability and order in Burundi is through negotiations and not through the barrel of a gun.
The Summit has directed that the two new signatories, as well as other armed groups and movements that will sign a cease-fire agreement in the future be integrated into the transitional institutions and the structures of the Burundi state.
The CNDD/FDD led by Pierre Nkurunziza, which has still not concluded negotiations with government, made a commitment to the Summit yesterday to resume substantive cease-fire negotiations without any conditions. During the last round of negotiations, this movement and the transitional government could not move forward due to the following conditions put by the CNDD-FDD:
The Summit has directed the CNDD-FDD (Nkurunziza) and the PALIPEHUTU-FNL faction led by Agathon Rwasa, to enter immediately into negotiations with the Transitional Government of Burundi with a view to conclude a cease-fire agreement within 30 days. The Heads of State will meet after 30 days to review the situation, and if no ceasefire agreement has been reached between the parties, they will take appropriate measures against the recalcitrant party with a view to restoring peace and stability in Burundi, and ensuring the full implementation of the Arusha Peace Agreement.
From the Facilitation side, we will once again assist the remaining belligerent parties to find common ground and reach an agreement, as mandated by the Summit.
It is slightly more than two years since the cease-fire negotiations began, as the process has been running from September 2000 to October 2002. We have during this period worked in earnest in an attempt to get the Burundian belligerents to sign a ceasefire, and the process has been long and arduous.
We have continued despite the difficulties which have characterised the interaction with some of the belligerents, in the main because of the concern that the delay in securing a ceasefire means continued suffering for the ordinary people of Burundi and that it would delay the implementation of the broader Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.
It is also because of our commitment to the principles enshrined in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, for example the following:
We strongly appreciate the support that the Heads of State and Government of the Great Lakes region in our facilitation task.
We also greatly value the support of President Thabo Mbeki in his capacity as President of our country as well as Chairperson of the African Union, and that of Former President Mandela as the chief mediator in the Burundi conflict. The support of the United Nations in this process has also been invaluable.
Issued by the Presidency