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Mr President,

Thank you for affording me once again, the honour of addressing the United Nations Security Council today.

It is exactly a year since I was afforded this privilege, having made a presentation to the Security Council on 4 December last year.

The 20th Summit of the Great Lakes Regional Peace Initiative on Burundi, held on 16 November 2003 in Tanzania, under the leadership of President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, the Chairperson of the Regional Initiative on Burundi and the Chairperson of the African Union, President Joaquim Chissano, has mandated me as Facilitator to report to the Security Council again, and to request urgent direct assistance for the Burundi peace process.

This assistance will help to consolidate the gains already made, prepare the ground for successful democratic elections in eleven month's time, and firmly root Burundi on the road to lasting peace and stability.

Mr President, we are pleased to report that tremendous progress has been made over the past year, and we are ending 2003 on a positive note, due to the significant developments that have taken place.

These have included the establishment of the African Mission in Burundi (AMIB), conclusion of outstanding negotiations and implementation of the various agreements including power sharing and transformation of the security apparatus.

The African Mission, which was then just a concept this time last year, was successfully established in March this year, and has worked tirelessly to fulfil its mandate. It was founded in terms of a decision of the 19th Heads of State Summit in Tanzania of December last year.

The establishment of the African Mission was, in our view, in line with Chapter 8 of the Charter of the United Nations (UN), which supports the establishment of regional initiatives for the resolution of conflicts, provided such arrangements are consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN.

Reference is also made to such initiatives in Chapter 6, which provides for the use of regional initiatives for the resolution of disputes, without an active direct involvement but full support by the UN.

The objectives of the African Mission are:
* To oversee the implementation of the ceasefire agreements, a task it continues to undertake effectively, to our satisfaction
* To support the disarmament and demobilisation initiatives and advise on reintegration of ex-combatants, a task it has begun to execute efficiently as will be reported on in this presentation
* To contribute to political and economic stability in Burundi, a responsibility it has executed exceptionally, in assisting the implementation of all agreements and laying the ground for the social and economic reconstruction of Burundi
* To work to achieve conditions that are favourable for the establishment of a UN Peacekeeping Mission, again, a task executed professionally and successfully, leading to our presence here today to say that the time has come for the UN to become actively involved.

The African Mission is headed by Ambassador Mamadou Bah, the Special Representative of the African Union (AU) in Burundi, who is assisted by three deputies, from South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

It integrates a military component under the command of Major-General Sipho Binda of South Africa, comprising contingents from Mozambique, Ethiopia and South Africa. It also has a Military Observer Component of 43 members from Burkina Faso, Gabon, Mali, Togo and Tunisia. The Joint Ceasefire Commission of AMIB is led by General Alioune Samba of the UN.

As at the end of November, the total strength of the force stood at two thousand six hundred and fifty six (2656) men and women. The Mission is widely regarded as a shining example and model of African solutions to continental security challenges.

With regards to ceasefire agreements, in my report last year, I indicated that at the signing of the agreement between the CNDD-FDD of Nkurunziza and the Transitional Government, certain outstanding issues still needed to be negotiated.

These included the participation of the former armed movements in the transitional institutions of the State and Parliament, as well as issues relating to the disarmament, demobilisation and the building of a new inclusive security apparatus in Burundi.

The negotiation of these issues has been successfully concluded, leading to the signing of the two Pretoria Protocols of 8 October and 2 November and the comprehensive ceasefire agreement signed in Dar-es-Salaam on 16 November 2003, which was a consolidation of all agreements between the CNDD-FDD (Nkurunziza) and the Transitional Government.

It is important to emphasise that since the signing of the first Pretoria Protocol between the Burundi Government and the CNDD-FDD on 8 October 2003, the level of violence was reduced dramatically, bringing peace to at least 95 % of the territory of Burundi.

The celebrations by Burundian refugees during the signing of the comprehensive agreement in Dar es Salaam, was to us, an indication of the genuine desire for peace by the people of Burundi.

We can therefore say, without fear of contradiction, that the Burundi peace process has entered a decisive and irreversible stage. This is more so because the implementation of all the ceasefire agreements and the Pretoria Protocols has been swift, and change is evident. These developments had significantly boosted the implementation of the Arusha Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation of August 2000, which guides the transitional period.

The Transitional Government now includes representatives of the three movements, which have signed ceasefire agreements with the Transitional Government. Among the key new members of the Burundian Cabinet is Mr Pierre Nkurunziza, leader of the CNDD-FDD, who was recently appointed as a senior Minister of State and Good Governance.

Members of the CNDD-FDD who are to join transitional institutions have returned to Burundi, and Mr Nkurunziza is expected to return to Bujumbura on Saturday. The return of Mr Nkurunziza and his delegation to public life in Burundi is another critical milestone in the peace process.

Mr President, another practical demonstration of the commitment of the Burundians to peace was the smooth and proficient manner in which the Presidential alternation took place in May this year. President Pierre Buyoya, from the Tutsi political family, vacated office, and was replaced by President Domitien Ndayizeye, from the Hutu political family, in line with the Arusha Agreement of 2000. The country has therefore been consistently moving forward.

It must also be noted that Burundi has successfully completed the first two-thirds of the transition period at the end of which, in eleven months - a democratically elected legislature and executive should be in place to replace transitional institutions.

We are of the view that because of these positive developments, Burundi is today closer to lasting peace more than ever before in its 10 years of conflict.

Mr President, the fact that the PALIPEHUTU-FNL of Agathon Rwasa is currently outside the peace process is regrettable. However, this does not present an obstacle to the peace process, taking into account that the majority of parties are part of the process.

The November Summit issued a clear message to FNL to join the peace process within three months. After this deadline, said the Summit, and in the case of a categorical refusal to join the negotiation process, the FNL would be considered to be an organization that is against peace and stability.

The Heads of State urged the support of this position by the UN and the international community as a whole, to pressurise the movement.

We appreciate the consistent public call to the FNL, made by the Security Council, over a period of time, for this movement to join the peace process without delay. We note for example, the statement by the Security Council President on 14 August 2003, inviting Member States of the Great Lakes region to use all their influence and pressure to compel the FNL to engage in peace talks.

The summit mandated me to continue attempts to bring FNL into the process, and I have sent communication to them and hope for a positive response. In my last meeting with them last year, they reiterated their willingness to join the peace process, but placed pre-conditions. I will continue to try to engage the movement, and am still optimistic that a solution can be found.

Mr President, while celebrating the tremendous achievements of the past year, a lot of work still remains to be done. Burundi faces serious challenges in the weeks and months ahead.

Part of this includes the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of returning combatants as well as the return of refugees and internally displaced persons.

The CNDD-FDD (Jean Bosco) and PALIPEHUTU-FNL (Mugabarabona) have begun to canton some of their combatants in the cantonment site at Muyange. They have indicated that they had more combatants who would be cantoned soon.

The combatants of CNDD-FDD (Nkurunziza) are already proceeding to different assembly points to be cantoned. In early November, I took a CNDD-FDD delegation led by its secretary general Hussein Rajabu to Burundi, for them to begin preparations for participation in the African Mission. The visit once again indicated to the Burundian population, that the peace process is moving forward.

It is important to note that many refugees, mainly from Tanzania, began to move into Burundi mainly from Tanzania, on their own, when the final agreements were signed. The mood is therefore one of optimism and great expectations.

The African Mission, which is responsible for the cantonment and disarmament of the combatants prior to demobilisation, requires resources to carry out its mandate effectively. Most importantly as well, Mr President, the African Mission requires resources to maintain the African Mission Force.

Very soon, the Mission will be required to take full responsibility for the maintenance of the troops, as the period allocated for self-sustenance by the respective troop contributing countries will come to an end. It is extremely urgent that financial resources be found without delay.

I must emphasise that we appreciate the assistance pledged by the Security Council in the statement of 18 December last year, relating to, among other issues, facilitation of logistical assistance to the deployment of the African mission, and the consistent calls for support from the donor community.

We wish to reiterate that the continued success of the Burundi peace process requires more direct UN involvement. The AU, the Great Lakes Regional Initiative, the Facilitation Team, the African Mission and Burundian parties have made their contribution and have brought Burundi thus far. The international community must now help to consolidate these positive gains.

We believe processes should now be put in place to look into how the UN can become actively and directly involved in the Burundi peace process.

It is our well-considered view that the conditions are now conducive for the UN to express its support and solidarity through taking over the African Mission in Burundi, re-hat the existing military contingent and deploy a UN peacekeeping operation.

The other, more immediate relief measure, is to provide material, logistical and financial support to the African Mission, to enable it to continue with its work while preparations continue for more robust involvement by the UN.

We would like to reiterate our gratitude to the UN for support thus far, in many respects, including the invaluable contribution of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Burundi, Ambassador Berhanu Dinka.

Mr President, we hold the view that for Africa to be at peace with itself, we should all work together to support nations that are moving towards peace and stability.

We are humbled by the knowledge that the Security Council is fully behind this African position, and has always been ready and prepared to give full support, for us to achieve the noble objectives of a peaceful and prosperous Africa.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency

4 December 2003