Kagame, Ndayizeye pledge to boost regional stability

Presidents Domitien Ndayizeye of Burundi and Paul Kagame of Rwanda pledged on Tuesday to help bring stability to the Great Lakes region by supporting peace efforts in Burundi and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). "We estimated that for the interest of all, the peace processes in the DRC and in Burundi should come to the end, and that relations between Rwanda and Uganda should be improved in the interest of the region," Ndayizeye said. Speaking to reporters in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, upon his return from a one-day official visit to Rwanda, he said Kagame had agreed on the need to support the Burundi peace process. "President Kagame promised to convince armed groups [in Burundi] to implement the ceasefire agreements they have signed with the government, and for those who haven't yet signed to join the peace process," he said. Ndayizeye said he urged Kagame to support the African Union peacekeeping mission in Burundi, and that the Rwandan leader had promised, "to use his power to persuade donors to give the force the necessary support". Kagame and Ndayizeye also discussed the revival of the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries (Commnaute Economic Des Pays Des Grands Lacs), a regional body that was active in the 1980s. Ndayizeye described the organisation as being of "extreme importance" for the populations of the three countries. Under the regional body, Burundi, Rwanda and the DRC had agreed on a harmonised customs duty but conflict in the 1990s put an end to free trade exchange in the region.