December 7, 2001

STATEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES DELEGATION
By
Keith Brown
Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa
United States Agency for International Development

Distinguished Co-Chairmen President Buyoya and Jacques Loup, Honorable Members of the Burundian Delegation, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen:

On behalf of the Government of the United States, I would like to thank the Government of Burundi and the United Nations for sponsoring this international donor conference on Burundi. This forum has provided an important opportunity to exchange views, to discuss vital issues and to coordinate plans for helping Burundi promote stability and security, democracy, reconciliation and development.

The United States also would like to express its appreciation for the extraordinary efforts of the Facilitator of the Burundi peace process, Nelson Mandela, who has done so much to promote peace and reconciliation in Burundi.

The United States has supported and will continue to lend its full support to the Burundi peace process. We would like to congratulate all of the parties to the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement on the November 1 installation of the transitional government. We are heartened by the efforts of the Burundians, with the support of the international community, to implement the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and to abide by its terms, as well as Burundi's macro-economic progress in the face of substantial constraints. We also want to recognize and fully support the South African Government in its efforts to assist Burundi through the provision of a Special Protection Unit to protect returning opposition leaders participating in the transitional government.

These positive developments are tempered by continued violence and the violation of human rights by all of the armed groups on the ground. The massacres of civilians and abductions of children last month underscore once again the need for commitment by all parties to renounce violence and to end human rights abuses. We support President Buyoya's appeal for a permanent cease-fire and urge the rebel groups who have not yet joined the peace process to do so. We also support the transitional government's stated intention to undertake necessary reforms in the administration, the judiciary, and security institutions in order to re-establish the confidence of all of Burundi's citizens. These steps are essential to a lasting peace in Burundi.

This Conference is occurring at a propitious time for Burundi. We sincerely hope that the humanitarian and development assistance we provide, along with that of other friends of Burundi, will add significant momentum to what we all hope will be a successful transition process.

With our regional and international colleagues, we will continue to do all we can to restart cease-fire talks between the Government of Burundi and the rebel groups who have not signed the Arusha peace accords. We will continue to press for observance of human rights by all the parties to the peace process, including the Burundian military and the rebels.

As the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ambassador Berhanu Dinka said last month, we are hopeful that the transitional government will bring in a new era of governance, which is based on traditional African values of tolerance, and a constitutional framework that accommodates diversity, promotes mutual trust and guarantees justice and security. Based on these values and institutions, the donor community must help Burundi identify concrete ways to promote a transparent, democratic political process and sustained equitable economic and social progress.

President Bush, in his conversations with Nelson Mandela, has reaffirmed the US Government's commitment to a successful transition in Burundi and our diplomatic and financial support for the Burundi peace process. Notwithstanding the urgent humanitarian and reconstruction assistance demands of Afghanistan and Central Asia, the United States is steadfast in its support for the successful transition in Burundi and will assist Burundi to respond to its compelling humanitarian requirements and development assistance needs.

My colleague has already discussed our 2001 humanitarian and development assistance programs in Burundi. In the coming year, the United States will continue to provide substantial levels of assistance to Burundi, largely through humanitarian programs but also in expanded development activities in health, civil society building, human rights (with emphasis on women's rights), conflict resolution and scholarships. And, as I indicated in my intervention during the HIV/AIDS Action Plan session yesterday, we will be significantly increasing our AIDS program to $3 million. In addition, the United States will provide new assistance to help revitalize the agricultural sector, upon which at least 90 percent of Burundi's people depend. We will assist in the economic and social reintegration of former combatants and Burundian refugees when conditions are conducive to the implementation of such programs. And, we will examine the possibility of including Burundi under President Bush's new Education Initiative for Africa.

While we continue to operate under legislative restrictions that affect our direct assistance to the government of Burundi, we are mindful of the potential for progress that exists under the Transition Agreement. We pledge to look for ways to increase our support even within the existing restrictions.

Although the US Government cannot project its budget over the three years of the transition, we expect our humanitarian and development assistance to approach $150 million over this period. The US Government is also prepared to support HIPC debt relief once Burundi successfully implements its IMF staff-monitored program, completes its interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, takes appropriate measures associated with US legislation regarding the audit of military expenditures, and successfully implements other requirements associated with the HIPC program.

As we make our best efforts to implement the activities associated with our assistance, we will be looking for several developments from the transitional government of Burundi:
- First and foremost, the continuing efforts for the establishment of cease-fire talks undertaken in good faith between the government and the rebels;
- Second, the establishment of all the transitional institutions and adherence to the electoral calendar outlined in the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, and the general return to democratic practices by all parties; and
- Third, significant progress on economic reforms and the restructuring of Burundi's economic institutions, through good faith efforts with the World Bank, the IMF and international donors, and ultimately qualifying for HIPC status.

In summary, the President eloquently presented the economic challenges before Burundi. The message the US Government wants to clearly convey to you and your government is that we will continue to work with international and Burundian NGOs and international agencies to support the transitional government's efforts to consolidate peace through dialog and reconciliation and to foster broad-based economic and social development.

There is an enormous task ahead for Burundi in rebuilding a nation devastated by years of civil war and in moving forward on social and economic development. We agree that it is imperative to show positive impact on the lives of Burundians in the short to medium term. There must be a peace dividend for the people of Burundi. It is essential for all of us to see that peace, stability and broad-based development is achieved and sustained.

Thank you.