Admission to East African Community delayed

The admission of Burundi and Rwanda to the East African Community (EAC - comprising Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) has been delayed, The New Vision Ugandan government-owned newspaper quoted Jikaya Kikwete as announcing on behalf of the EAC Council of Ministers on Thursday.

"The council felt strongly that ultimately the Community may have to include those two countries. However, the council was of the view that this was not the appropriate moment for Rwanda and Burundi to be admitted," the council's report, which was later adopted by the presidents of the three East African countries, said.

It said the community was still in a formative stage and it would not be prudent to admit new members now, the paper said. The ministers said the admission should be made after the protocol for the establishment of a customs union had been finalised, signed and made operational. "At that time, the application of Rwanda, Burundi and other foreign countries would be considered," the report said.

Burundi and Rwanda applied for membership in 1999 and 1996 respectively.

The council also said that in the interest of the EAC, any admission of foreign countries would be based on strict conformity with the criteria provided for under the treaty. One of the conditions was that an applicant country had to be democratic. "In view of all these considerations and decisions, the council directed that the applications by Rwanda and Burundi will be kept under active review and the applicants kept duly informed," the council's report added.