Communique of the 22nd Summit of the Great Lakes

REGIONAL PEACE INITIATIVE ON BURUNDI

The 22nd Summit of the Great Lakes Regional Peace Initative on Burundi took place in Dar es Salaam, on 18 August 2004, hosted and chaired by His Excellency Benjamin Mkapa, President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Deputy Chairperson of the Regional Initiative.

It was attended by the following Heads of State and Representatives of Governments:

HE President Thabo Mbeki, of the Republic of South Africa,
HE President Joaquim Chissano, of the Republic of Mozambique,
HE President Joseph Kabila, of the Democratic Republic of Congo,
HE President Levy Mwanawasa, of the Republic of Zambia,
HE President Domitien Ndayizeye of the Republic of Burundi,
HE Prof G. Bukenya, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda,
HE Jacob Zuma, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and Facilitator of the Burundi peace process,
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda, Dr Charles Murigande,
Ambassador K Sinegiorgis, representing the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Also present were:

The special Representative of the African Union in Burundi, Ambassador Mamadou Bah.

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Burundi Ambassador Carolyn McAskie.

The Summit reviewed progress made since the last Summit held on 5 June 2004, and discussed the situation in Burundi extensively, following a briefing by the Facilitator, Deputy President Zuma.

The Summit took the following decisions

(a) ON POWER SHARING

Noted the consultations on power sharing that had taken place in Pretoria
and Bujumbura among the Burundi parties, and endorsed the Power Sharing Agreement signed in Pretoria on 6 August 2004, as an appropriate compromise and mechanism for ensuring ethnic balance in the spirit of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.

.Endorsed the agreement by signatories of the Pretoria Power Sharing Agreement that the provisions of the agreement should be incorporated in the Constitution of Burundi, voted through a referendum and other relevant legislation.

(b) ON THE ELECTIONS IN BURUNDI

The Summit:

Called upon the Transitional Government of Burundi to ensure that the Independent Electoral Commission is put in place by 29 August 2004.
Within three weeks of the establishment of the Independent Electoral Commission, the Burundi National Assembly should decide on the draft Constitution. On failure to do so, the President of the Republic of Burundi should send the draft Constitution to the referendum or to the Implementation Monitoring Committee to invoke Protocol II Article 15.7 of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.

(c) ON THE PALIPEHUTU-FNL AND THE GATUMBA MASSACRE

The Summit:

Strongly condemned the callous attack on the United Nations refugee camp in Gatumba, Burundi on 13 August 2004, in which civilians, including children, were killed, and for which Palipehutu-FNL claimed responsibility.

Extended condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Applauded the urgent response of the African Union and United Nations to the massacre including the decision to conduct an investigation to establish the facts around the massacre, and requested co-operation with the United Nations in this regard by all parties.

Recalled the decision of 5 June 2004 which urged the African Union Peace and Security Council to consider the activities of the Palipehutu-FNL in light of the AU Constitutive Act, the AU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and other relevant AU instruments and decisions, and recommend appropriate political and legal action within three months.

In light of the recent incidents and refusal of the Palipehutu-FNL to desist from violence and to actively join the peace process, the Summit resolved to declare the Palipehutu-FNL a terrorist organisation, and urged the African Union and the United Nations Security Council conventions and protocols on the combating of terrorism to apply in this regard.

Thanked his Excellency President Mkapa and people and government of the United Republic of Tanzania for hosting the Summit and for continued support to the peace process.

Issued at Dar es Salaam on 18 August 2004.