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The UN Security Council has expressed support for Nelson Mandela’s announcement on Burundi’s transitional period, and urged all regional states to support the proposal. In a statement read by Council President Wang Yingfan of China, members said the move represented a “crucial step forwards in the peace process”.
They urged the signatories of the Arusha agreement and the Implementation Monitoring Committee to contribute positively to the functioning of the transitional institution. Under the agreement, President Pierre Buyoya will lead the three-year transition for the first 18 months as a Tutsi leader. The next 18 months will be led by a Hutu president. Council members again called on the armed groups to suspend hostilities and urged regional states to stop any military support to these movements. They stressed the need for economic and humanitarian assistance from the international community once the transitional government was in place.
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