Security Council welcomes signing of accord

The UN Security Council on Thursday welcomed the limited signing of the Burundi peace accord, calling it “an important first step towards national reconciliation”. Council members also endorsed the signatories’ urgent appeal for armed groups to suspend further hostilities, join in negotiations and sign the accord. The call came in a statement released by Council President Ambassador Agam Hasmy of Malaysia after a closed-door briefing on the situation in Burundi by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast. Congratulating talks’ mediator, Nelson Mandela, the facilitation team and the Burundian parties for their efforts, Council members encouraged the negotiators to step up their attempts to reach a “compromise on outstanding issues and on a timetable for implementing the accord”. They noted that this would facilitate the return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes “in safety and dignity”. Noting that a donor conference would be held in Brussels on 15 September, the council members also called on the international community to assist Burundi government in its reconstruction efforts. Meanwhile, Belgium - the former colonial power in Burundi - labelled the peace deal “the first achievement in two years of tough negotiations aimed at bringing the Burundi crisis to an end.” Local news agencies quoted Foreign Minister Louis Michel as saying it was imperative that all Burundians reject violence. “Although peace had not been achieved, the pace towards it has been accelerated and the parties should further pursue dialogue and compromise,” he said.