Buyoya leads delegation to aid talks

Burundian government officials, lead by President Pierre Buyoya, begin a round-table meeting with development partners on Thursday to discuss the country's HIV/AIDS pandemic and public debt, Communications Minister Albert Mbonerane told IRIN.

The Geneva meeting will also evaluate the level of aid contributions received since the December 2000 Paris donor conference, during which development partners pledged US $440 million for an economic recovery package. The European Community, the World Bank and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are among Burundi's major development partners. The two-day meeting is being held under the auspices of UNDP.

"We want the donors to support the programmes of the Arusha peace accord," Mbonerane said.

These consist of negotiating a cease-fire between the government and Hutu rebels; the repatriation and reintegration of refugees and internally displaced persons; the reconstruction of infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, roads; and funds for economic recovery. Buyoya has taken to the meeting the ministers of finance; planning and reconstruction; rural development, and the minister in charge of HIV/AIDS issues.

The government has budgeted 48.9 billion Burundi francs (US $59.3 million) to cover its external debt servicing in 2002, Mbonerane said, citing Ministry of Finance figures.

At a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday, Buyoya said he wanted the Belgian government "to take the lead” at the Geneva meeting. He added that after this meeting his delegation would go to Paris "to ask France to resume development aid".