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Deputy President Jacob Zuma to meet
with President Museveni of Uganda, 11 October 2004
Deputy President Jacob Zuma is to meet with President
Yoweri Museveni in Kampala, Uganda, tomorrow, 12 October
2004, to assess progress in the Burundi peace process.
President Museveni chairs the Great Lakes Regional
Initiative on Burundi.
The two principals will assess progress made since
the last regional summit which took place in Tanzania
on 18 August 2004.
They are also scheduled to receive a report on preparations
for the elections, from the newly-established Independent
Electoral Commission of Burundi.
The elections are supposed to have taken place by the
end of October 2004, in terms of the Arusha Peace and
Reconciliation Agreement of 28 August 2000.
BACKGROUND: COMMUNIQUE OF THE 22nd SUMMIT OF THE GREAT
LAKES REGIONAL PEACE INITIATIVE ON BURUNDI
The 22nd Summit of the Great Lakes Regional Peace Initiative
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:
a. HE President Thabo Mbeki, of the Republic of South
Africa.
b. HE President Joaquim Chissano, of the Republic of
Mozambique,
c. HE President Joseph Kabila, of the Democratic Republic
of Congo,
d. HE President Levy Mwanawasa, of the Republic of Zambia,
e. HE President Domitien Ndayizeye of the Republic of
Burundi,
f. HE Prof G Bukenya, Vice President of the Republic
of Uganda,
g. HE Jacob Zuma, Deputy President of South Africa and
Facilitator of the Burundi peace process.
h. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Rwanda, Dr Charles Murigande.
i. Ambassador K Sinegiorgis, representing the Ethiopia.
Also present were:
a. The Special Representative of the African Union
in Burundi, Ambassador Mamadou Bah.
b. 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.
Congratulated the 19 parties that signed the agreement,
and expressed concern regarding the failure of 10 parties
to sign.
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
Noting that the Summit of June 5 had directed that
the electoral process in Burundi should start without
further delay with a view to holding elections by the
31st of October 2004, as stipulated in the Arusha Peace
and Reconciliation Agreement of August 2000, the Summit
expressed serious concern regarding the delays in the
establishment of the Independent Electoral Commission,
and general preparations including the passing of the
necessary legislative framework for elections, such
as the electoral law, communal law and the Constitution.
Urged the Transitional Government of Burundi to establish
the IEC by 1 September 2004, and to report progress
made to the Chairperson of the Regional Initiative and
the Facilitator.
Regarding the Constitution, the Summit recalled Article
15 (7) of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement,
which allows for the drafting of the post-transition
Constitution by international and local experts, in
the event that the Transitional Government of Burundi
had failed to produce a draft after 23 months of the
transitional period.
Appealed to the Implementation and Monitoring Committee
to immediately begin the process of writing the Constitution
in line with Article 15 (7).
(c) ON THE PALIPEHUTU-FNL AND THE GATUMBA MASSACRE
The Summit:
a. 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.
b. Extended condolences to the families of the deceased
and wished the injured a speed recovery.
c. Applauded the urgent response of the 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.
d. Denounced the actions of the Palipehutu-FNL which
claimed responsibility for the Gatumba massacre, as
these actions confirmed the group's total disregard
for human life and peace.
e. 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 to recommend appropriate political
and legal action within three months.
f. Urged the Peace and Security Council to hasten the
abovementioned investigation and in view of the latest
incident, consider declaring the Palipehutu-FNL a terrorist
organization and for member states to treat it as such.
g. Reminded AU member states of the directive of the
12th meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council held
on 4 July 2004, to impose immediate restrictions on
the movements of the leaders and members of the Palipehutu-FNL,
in such a way that they ceased to constitute a threat
to peace and security in Burundi.
h. Renewed support to the Transitional Government of
Burundi in its efforts to deal decisively with the security
problem posed by Palipehutu-FNL.
Issued at Dar es Salaam on 18 August 2004
Enquiries: Lakela Kaunda
Cell: 082 782 2575
Issued by: The Presidency
11 October 2004
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