Brussels, 07/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Swedish Presidency of the EU adopted the following declaration on Burundi: "Alarmed by the news of escalating fighting in Burundi, most recently in and around Bujumbura, which reportedly has cost civilian lives and injuries, and added to the already serious suffering of the population, the EU: - strongly condemns the continued violence in Burundi and the indiscriminate attacks in Bujumbura, and calls on the FNL to immediately cease hostilities; - calls for a ceasefire and for the rebel movements to join the peace process; - calls on President Kabila of the DRC to continue his efforts to bring the parties to the conflict in Burundi closer together and reiterates its appeal to the governments of the other countries in the region who are in a position to influence the armed groups to encourage them to choose the path of peace and negotiation without delay; - welcomes the agreement at the recent Arusha summit that, in respect of leadership, the transition period be divided into two halves; - and calls on all parties to the Arusha Accord to increase their efforts to reach a final agreement on the leadership, at the forthcoming meeting of the Implementation Monitoring Committee in Arusha, 19 March, 2001; - reiterates its continued support in favour of restoring peace in Burundi and reconciling the nation.
The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the EU, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries, members of the EEA align themselves with this declaration."