Goverment disappointed by German visit

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation Severin Ntahomvukiye on Thursday expressed disappointment that a visit to the Burundi capital Bujumbura on Wednesday by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer had not confirmed the resumption of German aid, suspended in 1993. “We expected a lot from this visit ... The German side had announced that something would be done about resuming cooperation ... but we see that has not been confirmed. The efforts we have made towards peace over the last two years deserve more recognition,” Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted Ntahomvukiye as saying. Burundi President Pierre Buyoya had told Fischer that the country needed Germany “as they forge peace, and not just when all is done,” the minister added. The Germans, for their part, described Fischer’s visit as an opportunity to discuss possibilities for bilateral and multilateral cooperation, a chance to determine its position in advance of the 10-11 December donors meeting on Burundi in France, the report said. Fischer had said that Germany must “make a contribution” to the Burundi peace process within its possibilities, and would continue to provide humanitarian aid while making development aid contingent on advances the peace process, democracy and human rights, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported. Fischer had originally planned to stay in Burundi overnight but cut his visit to just a few hours for security reasons amid the heavy fighting on the outskirts of the capital, dpa added.