UN Security Council praises peace process

The UN Security Council held consultations on Burundi on Tuesday and welcomed recent "positive steps" taken in the country's peace process, UN News reported. In a statement issued after the consultations, the 15-nation Security Council urged political actors and armed groups in Burundi to opt for dialogue and to shun violence. Fighting between rebel groups and government forces continues in Burundi, despite the signing of ceasefire agreements between the government and three rebel groups in December 2002. The country is halfway through a three-year transitional period, brokered under South African mediation, which would see Burundi move to democracy. News agencies reported on Tuesday that tens of thousands of civilians were displaced following fighting on Sunday and Monday between the rebels and the army in Kabezi region, near the capital, Bujumbura. UN News reported that Council President Munir Akram of Pakistan had urged an end to fighting and said that the council supported a proposed regional summit for Burundi. "Council members urge Agathon Rwasa's Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) to cease hostilities, to join immediately the peace process and to start negotiations with the transitional government," Akram was quoted as saying. The council members also welcomed the deployment of the African Mission in Burundi (AMIB), and appealed to donor countries to make resources available for its deployment and future support, UN News reported. AMIB is the first peacekeeping initiative deployed under the auspices of the African Union. According to UN News, Akram said council members supported a round-table conference planned for next month to mobilise financial resources for Burundi, and urged donors to respond generously.