BURUNDI'S PARLIAMENT LEADERS OFFER NO SOLUTIONS TO

UNCLAS BUJUMBURA 000586 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/C E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL BY SUBJECT: BURUNDI'S PARLIAMENT LEADERS OFFER NO SOLUTIONS TO POLITICAL STALEMATE ¶1. (SBU) In a meeting on August 8, the President of Burundi's Senate, Gervais Rufyikiri, emphasized that only true dialogue among the political powers would be able to unblock the stalemate in the National Assembly. Rufyikiri stated the the political problems threatening to destabilize Burundi can be easily solved by seeking a shared understanding of each other's grievances and demands. The Senate president acknowledged that concessions are needed by all factions to arrive at an equitable solution and claimed that his ruling party National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) government is ready to act and negotiate on the requests of opposition parties. In particular, he noted that Union for National Progress (UPRONA) is requesting additional ministerial seats which constitutionally, he said, the government is not allowed to grant. Instead of negotiating in good faith, Rufyikiri feared that UPRONA will ask their current ministers to quit the government which will only serve to exacerbate the stranglehold on the legislative process. Indicating his frustration with mixed messages from the opposition, Rufyikiri also expressed his desire to have dialogue with those individuals who truly represent the wishes of their political parties. ¶2. (SBU) Rufyikiri stated that he expected a lot from the international communuity during this time of political crisis. The president of the Senate claimed that the international community can offer advice from a different point of view from the warring factions. He urged the international community, for the sake of the Burundian people, not to abandon Burundi. Lastly, Rufyikiri also suggested that the international community can use their influence to accelerate the stalled peace process between the government of Burundi and the PALIPEHUTU-FNL, a situation which Rufyikiri claims is contributing to fears from ordinary Burundians of renewed violence. ¶3. (SBU) In a later meeting, the Speaker (President) of the National Assembly, Pie Ntavyohanyuma, spoke in great detail of of the events leading up to the current legislative impasse, and suggested that if the leaders of the opposition parties had acted in a 'mature' manner, the blockage in the political process could have been avoided. Ntavyohanyuma claimed that the roots of this stalemate can be traced to the Feburary 7 removal of Hussein Radjabu as the ruling CNDD-FDD party's president. Ntavyohanyuma asserted that Radjabu's removal created divisions within the CNDD-FDD party that eroded the ruling party's majority held in the Parliament. Ntavyohanyuma suggested that the Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) and UPRONA pounced upon this opportunity to gain additional positions and greater influence within the governmnent. In the government's defense, Ntavyohanyuma said that Burundi's President Nkurunziza offered to include minority voices in the government within his constitutional capacity, and was receptive to opening a dialogue with his political foes. According to Ntavyohanyuma, the opposition refused to cooperate with Nkurunziza's attempt to form a new government and ultimately caused the current slowdown when the new government was viewed as unacceptable. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: There was no new ground broken in either of these meetings. Appearing very relaxed, Rufyikiri spoke of his perceptions about the current difficulties in general terms, and offered nothing substantive or earth-shattering concerning root causes or, more importantly, as a way forward. In contrast, the Speaker seemed to take a very defensive posture during the meeting with his long, detailed and prepared account of the events leading to the stalemate, some of which seemed intended to justify his actions to this point in time. It is difficult to imagine that the current political impasse will be overcome in the near future as these two powerful members of government seem to be throwing their hands up in frustration with the opposition forces. Although neither of these influential men alleged that President Nkurunziza was being ill-advised by unknown forces, neither of them either offered to urge the Burundi President to act more aggressively as a possible strategy for ending the political stalemate, and both seemed reluctant to confront the President. In fact, the Speaker admitted his fear of falling into a trap when asked by opposition members within the National Assembly to facilitate meetings with Nkurunziza or to deliver their written messages. Instead, both leaders appealled to the international community for assistance. It is yet to be seen if the political party leaders understand that it is Burundians who must solve Burundi's problems. End Comment. MOLLER