YouSaid · the spoken record

Nteturuye

lines on the record: 134
first: 1999-11-12
most recent: 2004-12-08
sittings or episodes: 12
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Reforms must move forward at the same pace in order to create a general symbiosis and dynamic to help Burundi overcome this crisis, the positive effects of which will be felt beyond its borders so as long as all the countries of the subregion are part of the dynamic established at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region held at Dar es Salaam on 19 and 20 November under United Nations auspices. Our subregion needs to recover rapidly so that we can tackle our reconstruction and development through such organizations as the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries, which must be reactivated, the East African Community and others.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“The first site is for the voluntarily demobilized personnel of the Burundian Armed Forces; the second is for the voluntarily demobilized personnel of the Forces pour la defense de la democratie and other armed movements; and the third is for demobilized child-soldiers. Meanwhile, laws on the new national defence forces and the new national police have just been adopted by the National Assembly. We take this opportunity to welcome the role that has been and will be played by the United Nations Operation in Burundi in all aspects of the late transition process, especially action to disarm the civilian population and election monitoring.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“Without substantial humanitarian and economic assistance, poverty, disease and unemployment are potential factors for destabilization and could re-ignite social tensions after the elections because, as the Security Council mission observed, elections are not an end in themselves. Those are the cornerstones that form the basis of adherence to the electoral calendar and end-of- transition activities, which could augur a more promising future for Burundi. To date, and following the Security Council's most recent Visit, the train has been stubbornly moving towards the station, as witnessed by the 80 per cent registration of potential voters in the referendum and by the onset of demobilization at three sites.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“Be it a question of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration operation; reform of the security and justice sectors; assistance for returnees and displaced persons who wish to return home; or the reconstruction and revitalization of the economy, we still await the assistance promised by the lenders. Burundi cannot solve those problems by itself. My delegation invites the Economic and Social Council's Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Burundi to visit the region and to see for itself yet again the link between bread and peace, especially at this crucial stage in the process of putting the country back on track.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“The report should be submitted to the Government of Burundi and to the Security Council before the end of the year, as promised, and everything should be done to hasten the consultations that will follow upon the report's publication. The struggle against impunity, the establishment of the rule of law and national reconciliation are important to the stability of post-transition Burundi. They must be addressed lucidly. Fourthly, international assistance is crucial to financing the elections and to implementing the reforms called for in the Arusha Agreement.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“The authorities of Burundi are asking the Council not only to support the decisions of the heads of State of the subregion, but also to go further by promising all necessary assistance to prevent the leaders of the Forces nationales de liberation, allied with the negative forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from sabotaging the peace process in Burundi and disrupting peace along the border, especially that between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. Thirdly, turning to the fight against impunity, Burundians are still waiting for the United Nations contribution. In that regard, we should make public the embargoed report of the Secretariat's assessment mission undertaken in May with the mandate of evaluating the timeliness and feasibility of establishing an international commission of judicial inquiry in Burundi.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“It is also called upon to encourage the future leaders of the post-transition period to reassure today's sceptics by building a climate of trust and preventing what the Secretary-General calls in his report "recklessly pursuing a winner-takes-all strategy" (S/2004/902, para. 62). Secondly, the question of the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) warrants special attention from the Council. My delegation is pleased to observe that the Council mission noted how concerned the Burundian authorities are by the behaviour of leaders of that rebel movement which spreads hatred and violence and which is trying to derail the electoral process.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“First, dialogue among Burundians must continue so that the widest possible consensus can emerge on political issues, in particular power-sharing and the adoption of laws that will govern the post-transition period. For Burundi needs peace not only before the end of the transition, but also after it. Council members were correct to ask their Burundian interlocutors during their visit if the political provisions being prepared presaged true stability and lasting peace after the elections. Let us repeat once again: the more we emphasize the search for political consensus, the more likely we are to have lasting peace after the elections. The international community is called upon to encourage Burundians to build a Burundi for all and by all.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“Mr. Nteturuye (Burundi) (spoke in French): I wish at the outset to congratulate you, Sir, on the outstanding manner in which you are presiding over the work of the Security Council. I also congratulate the delegation of the United States on its presidency during the month of November. My delegation welcomes the recent Security Council mission to Central Africa, led by Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, the fourth such visit since 2001. The report under consideration (S/2004/934), which complements the Secretary-General's report on Burundi (S/2004/902), published on 15 November 2004, points out honestly and unambiguously the progress and the challenges of the peace process in Burundi and in the subregion. We would like to address the most important aspects, not only for the end of the transition of Burundi but also for the period beyond.”
2004-12-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5096 (2004) · source
“That is why the head of ONUB, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, is trying, in addition to mediation, to coordinate and synchronize the activities of external and internal partners for peace in Burundi. The Government of Burundi reiterates its commitment to cooperate fully with Ms. McAskie, who is leading ONUB on behalf of the Secretary-General and the Security Council for the cause of peace in Burundi and on its borders.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“But this United Nations contribution is urgent, because after elections it will be politically delicate to try those who have been elected, who will in fact be tempted to initiate laws that will protect them and whitewash them forever. Since the deployment of the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), the Organization has been playing a central role in the follow-up of the peace process in Burundi. The Burundian population hopes that, thanks to the presence and the assistance of ONUB, the peace process will culminate in a genuine peace that will lay the foundation for economic reconstruction and national reconciliation. Because ONUB is deployed in the field, it is, de facto, a credible point of reference and the international community's legitimate representative in Burundi.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The Security Council has already shown that it can take strong measures to try those responsible for serious crimes - when, for example, it created the ad hoc international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the extraordinary chambers to try Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia. For the time being, Burundians are asking only for an international judicial commission of inquiry. When the truth emerges from that investigation and from the investigation to be carried out by the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Burundians will be in a position to decide what type of justice should be meted out to the guilty in order to achieve reconciliation.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“No action followed that report, which nevertheless shed light on the threat of genocide that still exists in the Great Lakes region, as confirmed by the heinous massacre on 13 August of Congolese refugees in the Gatumba camp in Burundi. Here again, the Gatumba investigation is dragging its heels. Its conclusions would allow the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi - and even the United Nations and the African Union - to decide on legal and political action to be carried out with regard to the groups responsible for the massacre, in particular the PALIPEHUTU/FNL, which has claimed responsibility for this deed from the very first day and which heads of State of the subregion have now declared to be a terrorist organization.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The Council's lack of action on its own report created a situation in which some Burundians now refer to the conclusions of that report while others reject it. Another investigative report came out two years later. What I have in mind is the report (S/1998/1096, annex) that assembled information on the sale or supply of arms to those Rwandans based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were responsible for genocide. The report not only confirmed the existence of deliveries of arms to those mass killers, but it contained unpublished documents on cooperation between those killers and the Burundian rebel movements, also located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The peace agreement also provides for the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission. The texts creating that commission have just been adopted by the National Assembly, and the Senate will approve them as well during its current session. Burundians are beginning to worry, because they still remember another piece of work left unfinished by the United Nations: the report of the International Commission of Inquiry on Burundi (S/1996/682), which set out very serious conclusions on the identification of those behind what the same report called acts of genocide. The report was shelved instead of leading to concrete action or being reviewed or supplemented, if the Council deemed necessary.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“This is even more dangerous when the elections could lead to a situation where the executioners are rehabilitated and given popular legitimacy, while the victims are once again threatened - more so than before - and are forced to seek shelter, which they would not find, when they were expecting reparation and rehabilitation. The Security Council, which was asked in the Arusha Peace Agreement to set up an international judicial commission of inquiry, first preferred to send to Burundi an assessment mission from the Secretary- General last May. I was pleased to learn this morning that the report of the assessment mission is finally going to be made available very soon. The mission was able to observe on the ground the strong desire of Burundians of all political stripes to see the commission of inquiry established as soon as possible.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Indeed, prisoners from various political groups in the country have come together and denounced what they are calling a justice that protects those who gave orders and punishes those who followed orders. They have threatened to make public all the secrets they hold with regard to the responsibility of certain current leaders for the violence that has afflicted the country. What does that mean? It means that the provisional immunity granted political leaders is an extremely delicate political instrument in a situation of internal conflict where a manipulating elite is already hiding behind mass actions. It also means that the peace process is failing, if the high-level officials accused or convicted for playing a role in the national tragedy were those primarily responsible for the elections.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“It is also taking place a few days after the deposit, here in New York on 21 September 2004, of the instruments of ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court by the Government of Burundi. Last year I concluded my statement to the Council by affirming that Burundi needed a form of justice that would bring reconciliation and healing, after having emphasized that, in order for it to come about, such reconciliation must be based on truth and justice. Since that time, provisional immunity granted to political leaders returning from exile, as well as the release of hundreds of political prisoners, as recommended by an international ad hoc committee, have caused upheaval in the prisons of my country.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Mr. Nteturuye (Burundi) (spoke in French): The delegation of Burundi welcomes the initiative taken by the presidency of the United Kingdom, which, for the second year in a row, is organizing a debate on justice and the rule of law. We would also like to welcome the Secretary-General's very clear-sighted report (S/2004/6l6) around which we are basing our debate. In order not to take up too much time, I shall deliver a condensed version of my statement and distribute the full text. This debate is taking place more than four months after the adoption by the Council - on 21 May 2004 - of resolution 1545 (2004), which authorized the deployment of the United Nations Operation in Burundi.”
2004-10-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5052Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Those appeals have been heard, to judge by the success of the Forum of Partners for Development of Burundi, just held in Brussels on 13 and 14 January. The repatriated, the internally displaced, the demobilized combatants, child soldiers, the poor living on the hillsides - all need to be psychologically and materially rehabilitated in an equitable and sharing fashion. Without that, peace and reconciliation will be nothing more than a pious wish. The Government of Burundi therefore counts on the United Nations, the universal Organization ensuring the values of peace, right and morality, to help Burundi and the surrounding region to build the future on solid bases enabling the flourishing of future generations and saving them from the scourge of war and hatred.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“To ignore that is to build on quicksand, to walk with a thorn in one's foot, to create a breeding ground for new grudges - at least in the case of Burundi. Burundi needs impartial and reconciliatory justice accompanied by a vast campaign of detoxification to eradicate ideas that kill. That is the surest way to establish reconciliation, rule of law and democracy in Burundi and the entire Great Lakes region, which still lives under the shock of genocide, whose roots have not yet been extirpated. The United Nations can contribute to peace and reconciliation in Burundi by mobilizing the international community to improve the living conditions of the population, especially among those most affected by the war. The Security Council should be thanked for its mobilizing appeals addressed to financial backers.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“In a country where living conditions in the hills are identical for all ethnic communities and where the sharing of a common culture has forged a social cohesion as old as the single common language, the truth about the bloody crimes that mark the country's recent history constitutes the final road towards the survival of the nation. Bringing to justice those responsible for major crimes such as acts of genocide, rape, violence against children and other war crimes, including those against humanitarian rights, helps to heal the wounds and prepare minds for forgiveness and reconciliation - so long as this is handled skilfully through traditional, national and mixed tribunals and other experiences from elsewhere that are applicable in Burundi. Reconciliation is not incompatible with legal action. That will lead to peace.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The commission is cherished by the Burundians, as the members of the Council noted during their visits to Burundi. As well, the inquiry is one of the pillars of the peace agreement. The negotiators at Arusha also agreed to establish a Commission on Truth and Reconciliation with a mandate complementing that of the commission of inquiry. The process of adopting its regulating texts will conclude next February. Despite the efforts of Burundians and the progress already made in seeking peace, the role of the United Nations remains indispensable, especially in the fight against impunity and in national reconciliation efforts. Burundians require support in seeking the truth about deeds and individuals.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Another question is whether a country can successfully emerge from a crisis as serious as Burundi's without a minimum state of rule of law and the moral rehabilitation of the victims. The assistance of the United Nations can be decisive here. As the level of trust among Burundians does not always allow them to organize an acceptable inquiry by themselves, the country still awaits the arrival of another international commission of judicial inquiry, which the Government requested of the United Nations on 23 July 2002. My delegation welcomes the fact that the Security Council has approved the terms of reference for a Secretariat assessment mission, which should soon be sent to Burundi to prepare for the establishment of the commission of inquiry.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Today, the agreements grant provisional immunity to political leaders returning from exile and to belligerent forces. It is a political instrument of great importance, but the civilian population, the main victim of violence of all kinds, wonders whether this temporary amnesty will not be made permanent, because certain suspected individuals have great political ambitions. In the lead-up to the general elections scheduled to take place before 1 November 2004, Burundi is not safe from possible new tensions. It is caught between the duty of keeping to the timetable foreseen by the peace agreement and the need to have the minimum conditions required for organizing post-conflict elections. So how can we make sure that the candidates are honest people?”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The progress made since the signing of the peace agreement and the ceasefire agreements with the rebel groups gives us hope that the war will end in the near future. But Burundians are still decrying the situation of impunity for crimes imposed by the politicization and excessive polarization of society caused by the ethnic violence Burundi has experienced since independence. Many criminals are circulating freely in the country. Judicial services are demonized by some and idolized by others, which has seriously hindered the action of those services. National and international human rights organizations believe that the weakest point in the Burundian peace process is the way in which the issue of fighting impunity is being pursued under the signed agreements.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“In September 2003, during a public debate of the Security Council on the topic "Justice and the rule of law: the United Nations role", the Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno, addressed this issue. The Secretary-General said: "At times, the goals of justice and reconciliation compete with each other. Each society needs to form a view about how to strike the right balance between them. Nevertheless, in striking that balance, certain international standards must be adhered to." (S/PV.4833, p. 3) Indeed, that right balance is difficult but not impossible to find. My country, Burundi, has been engaged in a peace negotiation process for six years.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Mr. Nteturuye (Burundi) (spoke in French): I should like to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council and to express my best wishes for 2004. The topic of today's debate, "Post-conflict national reconciliation: role of the United Nations", is of primary importance for countries that are emerging or in the process of emerging from civil war, such as Burundi. My delegation finds this discussion to be very timely, because a number of conflicts in Africa, for example, are civil wars pitting sons and daughters of the same nation against each other. Reconciliation is a national imperative, regardless of the painful efforts it imposes on enemy brothers and sisters. But reconciliation must adapt to another imperative that is just as important: justice and the rule of law.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Before concluding, I would like to stress the importance of cooperation between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council in assisting in conflict and post-conflict situations in Africa. Burundi has sent a request to the Economic and Social Council for the establishment of an ad hoc advisory group to follow up the economic and social situation in Burundi and to mobilize donors. I believe that a decision on that issue will be taken at the next substantive session of the Economic and Social Council in Geneva. We hope that, as soon as such a group has been set up, it will be able to work closely with a similar group established under the auspices of the Security Council so that their efforts can be synergized and help to return stability and peace to Burundi.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Lastly - my final recommendation - the population of the Great Lakes region hopes that the political support of the Council will be accompanied by an improvement in the economic and humanitarian situation. In a region where political conflict is exacerbated by insufficient resources to go around and chronic poverty, the message of peace is wasted on people who are starving. Of course, significant efforts are now being made. But they are still inadequate, and the mobilizing role of the Council in encouraging donors will be decisive. According to a Burundian proverb, those who share little or nothing accuse each other of being thieves. That reality is still more dramatic when it leads to the physical elimination of others in order to take their place, or to take a larger piece of the pie.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“The transition from the African mission to a United Nations mission need not be difficult, but of course it must be prepared for. That is particularly important, as a United Nations peacekeeping mission would include a military component, as well as a political, humanitarian and, most important, a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration component, in addition to electoral support and so forth. The African mission does not have all of those components, but they will be necessary in the case of Burundi. There must be cooperation between the Council and the African Union so that the ongoing efforts of the international community in Burundi can be successful. The forthcoming Council mission will provide an opportunity for discussion with the Burundian authorities.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Here, I would also like to say that it is important for us to demonstrate flexibility with regard to the principles that guide the dispatch of a peacekeeping force, because situations in different countries vary. The United Nations, for example, hesitated to send a peacekeeping mission to Burundi because the rebels refused to lay down their arms before cantonment. That was one reason why the Security Council was unable to decide to send a mission. But if we demonstrate a little patience and flexibility, the rebels will be encouraged to lay down their arms once they are cantoned. Once they are in that situation and we can work with them psychologically, conditions might be created under which a peacekeeping operation could function.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Apart from the financial and logistic problems, there are also questions regarding the mandate of the force, which will, we hope, be discussed with the Security Council during its mission. This will be the first time that the pan-African organization has sent such a large force to a member country. Of course, a decision will have to be made about what mandate to base the African mission's mandate upon. Will it be based on Chapter VI, VII or VIII of the Charter? Which of the three is best suited to the Burundi situation? The Deputy President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, representing the facilitator, Nelson Mandela, explained to the Council last December that the African mission must ensure that the ceasefire is observed and that, at the appropriate time, it hands over to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Burundi.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“With regard to Burundi, the presence on the ground of a United Nations Office, as well Ambassador Dinka's chairmanship of the Committee charged with following up the Peace Agreement, reflect the unfailing commitment of the United Nations to Burundi. The newly created African Union responded to the United Nations appeal for an African solution to African problems by deciding to send an African ceasefire observer mission, consisting of some 3,000 troops. After some initial delays, it seems that the means are finally being found to deploy that mission, which is, in fact, a force. But that effort must be supported, because the force must be able to work for some time.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Fourthly, it is important for the Security Council to adapt the mandates of its interventions to the often tricky conflict situations in Africa. In both Central and West Africa, setbacks have sometimes derailed the efforts of United Nations or regional observer or peacekeeping missions. In Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Council and regional organizations are sometimes suddenly called upon to modify mandates and to increase mission troop levels. Such situations are sometimes unpredictable. At other times it is inevitable that such situations should arise, because the terms of a mandate are not adapted or the troop numbers are insufficient. The case of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a good reminder of that.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“That is true in Burundi of the Parti Liberation du Peuple Hutu-Forces nationales de liberation (PALIPEHUTU-FNL) of Rwasa Agathon. In a region that, as I have said, is still living under the threat of genocide, and in a country such as Burundi, where the situation is so conducive to a repetition of similar violence, how can we continue to accept a movement that bases its ideology on ethnic violence? All of this must be said, and such movements must be condemned. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Council, which, in its presidential statement of 2 May, reminded the PALIPEHUTU-FNL that the international community was finding it increasingly difficult to understand the legitimacy of its struggle.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Nevertheless, there are situations that call for more firmness on the part of the international community. When, for example, the rebel group of Pierre Nkurunziza - the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratic-Front pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) - launches deadly bombs against the capital's neighbourhoods or other population centres throughout the country, that is called terrorism and must be condemned as such. When that group takes schoolchildren and student hostage and places them in combat, it is violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child. That too should be noted. Along the same lines, the movements and organizations that defy the international community by refusing to come to a negotiating table open to everyone should be neutralized.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“As someone said earlier with regard to the fight against impunity, the Security Council is called upon to help Burundi find the means to fight this phenomenon, as that would be the surest way to build a future on a solid foundation. My third recommendation is that Security Council missions be encouraged to deliver a clear message to the protagonists in our conflicts. We often hear from the public of the Central Africa subregion - at least in Burundi - that the Security Council is being repetitive in its messages. Perhaps they are not aware of the virtues of repetition; or perhaps people forget that it is the protagonists who have the primary responsibility to settle their disputes. The Council can only help Burundians and Congolese to achieve peace.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Rather, it is to gain understanding and to make it possible for those responsible to reflect and perhaps to ask forgiveness of their past victims and to be reconciled with them. A healing process is necessary. The Arusha Agreement calls for a criminal tribunal to punish these crimes. But it also calls for a truth and reconciliation commission. All of this will of course depend upon the recommendations to emerge from the inquiry. That is why the commission is so important. It should be set up as soon as possible, as the Council has already done in similar situations, such as in Sierra Leone and, soon, in Cambodia. As I have said, the purpose is to promote reconciliation on a solid foundation.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“In order to put to rest the demons of violence and to end the physical extermination of neighbours, we should endeavour to remember what took place in the Great Lakes region of Africa so that we may discover the truth, better address the problem at its roots and prevent similar catastrophes for future generations. The signatories of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi agreed to ask the Security Council to establish a neutral and independent international judicial commission of inquiry to determine responsibility for all the violence that has characterized the country's life since its independence in 1962. The people of Burundi await the Council's response during its visit to Burundi. However, the Security Council must understand clearly that the purpose of revisiting the past is not to reopen wounds or to exact revenge.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“The deep-rooted tensions linked to colonial history and to the poor leadership of the first years of independence are at the heart of the repeated violence in the subregion that culminated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, as well as the genocidal massacres that took place in Burundi in 1993, a few months before the genocide in Rwanda. This has also culminated in today's humanitarian catastrophe in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ideology of genocide and those responsible for genocide remain in the region, spreading arms and death across borders.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Among the commitments undertaken in all the agreements regarding Burundi there are also measures to be taken against those who reject a negotiated peace. Both the region and the United Nations were witnesses when all that was agreed upon and signed in the Arusha Agreement. It is always good to remind the armed groups and movements who refuse to come to the negotiating table of all that. I refer to the Lusaka and Arusha Agreements because they are very closely interrelated. There will be no peace in Burundi unless there is peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and vice versa. The same can be said for the region as a whole. My second recommendation is that Security Council missions to Central Africa should promote lasting solutions, as the region is still living under the threat of a new genocide.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“So long as signatories do not attempt to implement what they have agreed - even though that may of course require many concessions on their part - the peace progress could become bogged down or even regress. With regard to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Lusaka and Arusha Agreements continue to be the fundamental points of reference. However, the side agreements that have been signed since then should not be overlooked. In that connection, the Security Council should remind everyone that they must respect their commitments, given that there is a tendency among some signatories to question these agreements or - in the case of those who have not signed the agreements and have been invited to do so - simply to threaten to attack the agreements and to nullify them.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“On the eve of this fourth visit to the subregion, my delegation would like to make the following comments and recommendations so that the mission can truly meet the expectations of the populations that are victims of a state of war that has become unbearable and so that the mission can strengthen the new leadership in the second phase of the transition in Burundi. That transition is crucial and must end a programme expected to last 18 months, while adding the programme that could not be accomplished during the first part of the transition because of the ongoing war. The first recommendation: we believe that the Council's missions should give priority to calling for the respect for and implementation of political agreements and ceasefires that have already been signed.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“As well, individual situations are made difficult on all levels by the conflicts ravaging this part of Africa. I welcome the fact that the United Nations will send, at almost the same time, a multidisciplinary mission of United Nations agencies active in Central Africa. All these missions testify to the real commitment of the entire United Nations system to stabilizing Central Africa. Burundi greatly appreciates the Council's visits on the ground, its missions to Central Africa for four consecutive years. They have contributed to progress in the search for peace, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Burundi.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“The Council will soon undertake missions to Central Africa and West Africa in order to observe on the ground the difficulties of the various peace processes under way and to discuss with national and regional leaders, as well as with political and military actors, how to restore peace in those two African regions in crisis. I will speak particularly of the upcoming Security Council mission to Central Africa. In that context, I associate myself with the statement to be made shortly on behalf of the Central African States by the Ambassador of the Congo, the current Chairman of the Economic Community of Central African States. It is true and important that solutions for the region must be integrated in order to achieve peace, security and stability in the entire region. The conflicts are interconnected.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“Mr. Nteturuye (Burundi) (spoke in French): Allow me, Sir, to recognize the noteworthy achievement of the Pakistan presidency for the current month. It is the result of your great activity and personal skill. Burundi is proud of the work that you have accomplished, and will continue to accomplish, in the Council. The Security Council devotes the greatest share of its time to debates on conflicts in Africa. It is regrettable that Africa always remains in a situation of conflict, which, unfortunately, is slow in reaching an end.”
2003-05-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4766 (2003) · source
“The challenge raised by the situation of children in the Burundian conflict can be taken up now that the combatants seem to want to put an end to the war. Once the war has ended, the national and international community will be able to reweave the physical, social and moral fabric of the country. Children will once again be able to smile and to live a full and happy life with their parents - who themselves will welcome the chance to rebuild their lives in a reconciled nation. We ask the international community and the Security Council in particular to continue to help Burundi, so that it may continue forward on the path to peace.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“Let me recall here that the Burundian armed groups are notorious for the horrific killing of children in boarding schools - the most infamous being the burning alive in 1993 of dozens of Kibimba Normal School students, as well as the slaughter of young seminarians in Buta in 1996, who were killed in cold blood because they refused to group themselves by ethnicity, as had been ordered by the FDD rebel execution squad. The rebels also have excelled in the destruction of schools and hospitals, as well as in the kidnapping of schoolchildren and students under the age of 15, with the goal of recruiting them or making them carry plundered goods. As the report points out, these actions are true war crimes, which, thankfully, the International Criminal Court plans to prosecute.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source
“We have already set up, jointly with the United Nations Children's Fund, a programme for the demobilization of child soldiers, and a census of these children is under way. However, with respect to the armed groups, the situation is quite distressing, because, following the signing of the ceasefire agreement on 2 December 2002, the FDD rebels carried out a forced mass recruitment of young schoolchildren and students, promising them the world, including military ranks and large sums of money, which the international community was to give them if some of them were to be demobilized some day. This attitude should be condemned by the Security Council, because it is cynical, anachronistic and constitutes a violation of the ceasefire and of the agreed truce.”
2003-01-14 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4684Resumption1 (2003) · source