Burundi, 2002

It is an

honour for me to address the General Assembly at its

fifty-seventh session. Let me first of all, Sir, discharge

a pleasant duty on behalf of my delegation and on my

own account, and extend to you my warmest

congratulations on your election to the presidency of

the Assembly at its fifty-seventh session. You may rest

assured of the support and cooperation of the

delegation of Burundi towards the success of your

difficult and important mission. I also pay tribute to

your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Han Seung-soo,

for the able manner in which he led the work of the

fifty-sixth session.

Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity

to express our gratitude to the United Nations, and to

pay tribute to its Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan,

for his support to the people of Burundi.

Nor can I fail to thank the Security Council for its

tireless efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis in

Burundi. Through its two visits to Burundi, the latest

on 5 and 6 May 2002, the Security Council has shown

its solidarity with the people of Burundi in its quest for

peace.

During my address, I shall inform the Assembly

of the political situation in Burundi, and of how far we

have come in the peace process; I will then go on to

speak of the challenges we still face and will conclude

my statement with some comments on international

issues.

Following the establishment of transitional

institutions beginning 1 November 2001, the political

climate in Burundi has greatly improved. The political

forces that had taken part in the Arusha negotiations

and signed the Peace Agreement now form the

institutions of the Republic: the Government, the

National Assembly and the transitional Senate.

Advocating dialogue in an armed conflict is not

always an easy task, but a sense of responsibility gives

us no alternative. We are pleased to recall from this

rostrum that we have chosen the option of peace

through dialogue and the procrastinations of others

involved in no way shake our conviction.

Since we are on the right path, we request the

Secretary-General, the Security Council, the African

Union and the countries of our subregion to maintain

their support for our quest for peace by assisting the

mediation activities led by Nelson Mandela, assisted

by Presidents El Hadj Omar Bongo and Benjamin

Mkapa and Vice-President Jacob Zuma in order to

persuade the protagonists to sign a ceasefire agreement

without further delay. Indeed, certain provisions of the

Arusha Agreement are not being applied precisely

because of the ongoing violence. That is why the

negotiation and signing of a ceasefire is a crucial stage

in hastening and ensuring the success of the many

reforms to be undertaken.

The task ahead is enormous, but it can be

accomplished. The smooth functioning of institutions is

a guarantee of success, while daily experience

demonstrates the serious commitment of the political

partners and is the basis of our optimism.

While it is true that there are reasons for hope, it

is equally true that the challenges to the peace process

are genuine and could compromise our path to peace if

they are not satisfactorily met in the short term. The

violence which the rebels continue to force on the

Burundian people is a major challenge not only to us,

but to the United Nations, whose primary mission is to

maintain peace throughout the world.

We take this solemn opportunity to reiterate our

request to the entire international community to compel

the Burundian rebels to renounce violence. If

diplomacy does not succeed, all other means must be

used in order to prevent this rebellion from taking

hostage a peace process being led today by a

Government formed on the basis of negotiations and

which now enjoys international legitimacy. Peace will

come to the Great Lakes region when every country

there is living in peace. To that end, the effort must be

both individual and collective. That is why my country

is prepared to continue making its contribution to

creating a better climate with all neighbouring

countries.

The second major challenge is the reconstruction

effort. After nine years of crisis, the Burundian

economy has been sorely tried. The population has

become further impoverished, all economic parameters

have been destabilized, and our external indebtedness

prevents us from resorting, as we have done in the past,

to the international financial marketplace. Here again,

7

we ask our traditional partners to give substantial

support to our peace efforts. Promises have been made

that we hope will be kept in the near future. Indeed, the

repatriation of refugees, the resettlement of displaced

persons and the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure

will require substantial financial resources.

As members of the human community,

Burundians are also following the concerns of the

world, which, sadly, are many and to which we are

constantly seeking solutions. To cite but a few, Burundi

welcomes the creation of the Global Fund to Fight

AIDS and, like other countries that have been deeply

affected by the pandemic, has requested that access to

affordable medicine be improved until such time as

researchers are able to develop a vaccine against this

scourge, which threatens all humankind, especially in

Africa. In the same vein, my delegation supports the

idea of creating a world fund to fight poverty and also

welcomes the proposal to establish a world fund for the

environment.

Even closer to home, our peoples await the

concrete results of the recent World Summit on

Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, at which

the community of nations reaffirmed the need to work

together towards equitable and viable development for

current and future generations. We also welcome the

establishment of the Office of the High Representative

for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked

Developing Countries and Small Island Developing

States. This testifies to the unequivocal commitment of

the United Nations to enhancing and focusing efforts

on behalf of the most vulnerable groups of countries.

On the African continent, the New Partnership for

Africa's Development is a major source of hope and, as

such, deserves the support of the international financial

institutions and of the community of donors.

Along with the poverty that is affecting millions

of human beings, another fearful danger is that of

terrorism. A year after the terrorist attacks of 11

September 2001 in New York, Washington, D.C., and

Pennsylvania, the world remains in a state of shock and

is seeking ways to stem the scourge of international

terrorism. To that end, Burundi is committed to

implementing the provisions of Security Council

resolution 1373 (2001), which provides the blueprint

for a collective fight against terrorism.

The great challenges of poverty, environmental

degradation, international terrorism, armed conflict and

incurable disease require all nations, rich and poor, to

recognize international solidarity as the necessary

means of survival for us all. The United Nations is

therefore called on to meet this challenge, especially by

carrying out the necessary reform of its organs the

Security Council, the General Assembly and the

Economic and Social Council in order to make them

more complementary and effective in the interest of all.