France to press for resuming cooperation

French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin has suggested that European countries should not await the signing of a peace accord in Arusha before resuming aid to Burundi. During a one-day visit to Bujumbura on Wednesday, he told Radio France Internationale that on his return to Paris, he would have to study with the president and prime minister several issues put forward by the Burundian authorities. “I will have to try also to convince my European colleagues to try and look at things a bit differently regarding the situation in Burundi,” he said. Josselin stressed that the Arusha peace process and the Lusaka peace process for the DRC were linked. “Without peace in Burundi there cannot be peace in the DRC and vice versa,” he said. Regional analysts told IRIN his remarks indicate a change in policy towards Burundi, probably linked to the death of Arusha talks facilitator Julius Nyerere. Until now, donor countries had been insisting on a peace accord in Arusha before resuming cooperation with Burundi. But lately, there have been signs that donors are losing patience with the slowness of the Arusha process, the analysts said. During the visit, Josselin signed two agreements with Burundi. The first, worth FF 5 million, will go towards reinforcing education in the French language and the second, worth FF 4 million, will go towards improving the country’s justice system. Regional observers point out that France is keen to maintain its influence in francophone countries. They note that the minister did not visit Rwanda which at official level is disengaging itself from la francophonie.