US ambassadorial nominee on task ahead

The nominee as the next US ambassador to Burundi, Mary Carlin Yates, has said if her appointment is confirmed she will work to encourage democracy, a more liberal economic system and a “government that gives equal advantage and protection to all its citizens”. Addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, she said her previous experience in Africa presented her with the “greatest challenges” of her career. “The problems confronting the Great Lakes region, of which Burundi is such a vital component, are imprinted from these experiences,” she said. “American diplomacy has worked hard to encourage and support efforts of Burundians to end their ongoing civil conflict, to build a peace process and to establish a democratic government. We want to help build on this progress.”