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Burundi gov't says Arusha peace treaty partly "invalid"

Xinhua, April 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Burundi's government on Thursday said some provisions of the Arusha Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Burundi (AAPRB) had become invalid and could not be used to resolve the political crisis currently facing the electoral process.

The AAPRB was signed in 2000 in Tanzania to end the Burundian civil war.

The Global Ceasefire Agreement, signed in 2003 between the Burundi transition government and the ruling party CNDD-FDD which was then an armed movement, rendered some provisions of the AAPRB "null and void," a statement from the foreign ministry said, without highlighting the specific provisions.

"AAPRB, signed by 17 political parties and the then government, had some reservations from 10 signatories. These reservations were part of the said agreement, especially on the mode of electing the president of the republic in the post-transition period," the statement said.

In the statement, the government reiterated its commitment to consolidate democracy and respect the constitution passed through a referendum in February 2005 and promulgated in March of the same year.

"There exists some confusion on some articles of the Constitution with regards to presidential elections, and this could open varying interpretations and speculations," the statement continued.

"Burundi government urges the international community as well as local and international partners to understand that only the Burundian Constitutional Court has the authority to interpret the constitution," the statement said.

The government further urged the international community to continue supporting institutions charged with handling electoral matters so that they can perform their duties effectively.

With two months to Burundi's elections, the candidature of incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza has remained a matter of speculation, since he was first elected president in 2005 and re- elected in 2010.

According to the opposition and some members of the CNDD-FDD, Nkurunziza's attempt to contest for a third term will violate the Arusha Agreement and the Constitution, both of which provide that the president of the republic serves for only two five-year terms. Endi