BURUNDI - TALKING POINTS FOR DECEMBER 5

UNCLAS STATE 163965

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM XB XC XE BM
SUBJECT: BURUNDI - TALKING POINTS FOR DECEMBER 5
CONSULTATIONS



1. This is an action cable. Please see paragraph 2.


2. USUN is instructed to draw from the following points for
their December 5 consultations on Burundi.

Begin points:

-- The United States is concerned about the fragile state of
the Burundi peace process and calls on the PALIPEHUTU
(PAH-LEE-PAY-HOO-TOO) FNL to return to the negotiating table,
abstain from any further violence, and implement its
agreement with the Government of Burundi (GoB) by December
31st.

-- The United States is encouraged by President Nkurunziza's
recent efforts to reach out to the political
opposition in Burundi, which culminated in the allotment of
several ministerial positions to opposition parties in
November.

-- The United States congratulates UPRONA Member of
Parliament Yves Sahinguvu on his appointment as the new First
Vice-President. We hope Mr. Sahinguvu will work together
with President Nkurunziza to establish greater political
cohesion and focus on the problems facing the country.

-- The United States commends the work of the African Union
and BINUB in facilitating the implementation of the ceasefire
agreement between the GoB and the FNL and in providing
support for the alleged FNL dissidents located in two camps
north of Bujumbura.

-- The United States commends the GoB for the fostering of
good relations with its neighbors. On June 28, the National
Assembly in Burundi ratified the Great Lakes Region's Pact on
Security, Stability, and Development, making Burundi the
first signatory to ratify the pact. Burundi also became a
full-fledged member of the East African Community in July.
Finally, Burundi is sending peacekeeping forces to the AU
Mission in Somalia.

-- The United States commends the Government of Burundi's and
the Peacebuilding Commission's development of the Strategic
Framework for Peacebuilding in Burundi. The monitoring and
tracking mechanism of this framework will allow the PBC to
review the progress in achieving the peacebuilding priorities
laid out in the framework. We anxiously await the results of
the projects funded by the Peacebuilding Fund and approved by
the Joint Peacebuilding Steering Committee.

-- The United States notes with concern the GoB's refusal to
work with BINUB to develop an overall plan for security
sector reform, opting instead to pursue parallel reforms in
each pillar of the security sector instead. We stress the
importance of a holistic approach to security sector reform
and urge the GoB to ensure each sector is adequately
addressed in their alternative plans.

-- The United States remains deeply concerned by the human
rights situation in Burundi. We are pleased the number of
reported human rights violations committed by the Forces de
Defense Nationales (FDN) had decreased, but are still
disappointed by the high number of reported cases against the
Police National de Burundi (PNB). Likewise, we are
displeased that the investigations into the Gatumba and
Muyinga massacres of 2004 and 2006 have not been concluded,
nor have any of the perpetrators been brought to justice. We
call on the GoB to increase human rights training in its
police and armed forces to further reduce the amount of human
rights violations committed by its personnel. We further
call on the GoB to end the culture of impunity that currently
exists for human rights violators.

-- While the humanitarian situation in Burundi has improved
over the past year, the United States remains concerned that
hundreds of thousands of people in Burundi are still reliant
on international food assistance to survive.
RICE