Burundi (Hansard, 28 October 2003)

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the peace accord signed in October 2003 by the President of Burundi and Pierre Nkurunziza of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy; what assessment has been made of the viability of the accord; and if he will make a statement. [134432]

§ Mr. Mullin
The UK welcomes the signing of the Pretoria protocol on 8 October between the Force pour la Defense de la Democratic (FDD) (Nkurunziza) and the Government of Burundi. This is a positive step towards implementation of the 2 December 2002 ceasefire agreement between the two parties. Further talks to resolve outstanding issues including an implementation timetable, immunity, army integration and registering the FDD as a political party, are due to take place soon. The UK is working with the Government of Burundi and our international partners to ensure momentum is not lost.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions(a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with the (i) Government of Rwanda, (ii) Government of Tanzania, (iii) Government of Uganda, (iv) Government of France, (v) governments of other European Union member states, (vi) governments of EU candidate countries and (vii) Government of the United States of America concerning the (A) security situation in and
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(B) political stability of Burundi; what issues were raised; what actions were agreed on during these meetings; and if he will make a statement. [134433]

§ Mr. Mullin
The UK remains active in the Burundi peace process in a range of international fora. The UK maintains a dialogue on Burundi with our EU partners, the Regional Initiative chaired by Ugandan President Museveni, the South African led Facilitation and our key international partners in Burundi.
Key issues of concern include bringing the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) into the peace negotiations, ensuring the Forces pour la Defense de la Democratic (FDD) and the Government of Burundi honour their ceasefire commitments, supporting the AU peacekeeping force (AMIB), laying the foundations for a sustainable democracy and providing vital humanitarian assistance.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions(a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with (i) representatives of the United Nations, (ii) representatives of the European Commission, (iii) representatives of African multilateral organisations and (iv) European and African non-governmental organisations concerning the human rights situation in Burundi; what issues were highlighted during these discussions; what concerns were voiced; what action was (A) formulated and (B) implemented directly addressing those issues and concerns; and if he will make a statement. [134434]

§ Mr. Mullin
The UK is in contact with a range of partners on the human rights situation in Burundi including the EU, AU and UN. The UK also maintains a dialogue with national and international human rights NGOs. We are concerned at the impact of the war on the human rights of the civilian population, particularly women and children. The UK is actively working with our international partners in promoting peace in Burundi as the key to protecting their human rights.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Forces for the National Liberation's absence from the peace talks leading up to the October peace accord in Burundi on the long-term viability of the peace accord; what discussions(a) he, (b) members of his Department and (c) representatives of the UK Government have had with the Government of Burundi on the inclusion of the Forces for National Liberation in the peace process; and if he will make a statement. [134444]

§ Mr. Mullin
An all-inclusive cease-fire in Burundi is vital for the long-term stability of Burundi. UK officials remain in regular contact with the Government of Burundi on the need to engage the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) in peace negotiations. Most recently, our Ambassador in Kigali raised this issue on 23-24 October with the President and Foreign Minister of Burundi.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the internal conflict in Burundi on the(a) security and (b) stability 191W of border regions in (i) Tanzania, (ii) Rwanda and (iii) the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [134445]

§ Mr. Mullin
The 10-year civil war has had a destabilising effect on neighbouring countries. There are nearly 500,000 Burundi refugees in Tanzania. Some Burundi rebel forces remain in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The UK is committed to supporting implementation of the Arusha agreement of 2000 and the transitional government institutions in Burundi as an integral part of achieving security and stability in the Great Lakes Region.

§ Angus Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the developments in the security situation in(a) Burundi and (b) Rwanda since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [134446]

§ Mr. Mullin
We continually monitor the security situation in Rwanda and Burundi. The Government of Rwanda has made a concerted effort to bring security to the country. In this they have been broadly successful. However, the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi make the border areas potentially dangerous. The security situation in Burundi is unstable. But, there has been a positive development recently in Burundi with the signing of the Pretoria Protocol on 8 October on power sharing between the Force pour la Defence de la Democratic (FDD) (Nkurunziza) and the government of Burundi. Only the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) (Rwasa) lies outside the peace process.