Off the wire
• Turkey to take Egypt's Morsi verdict to UN  • Roundup: Italians still enjoy good work-life balance despite economic crisis: OECD index  • Spanish stock market rises 0.24 pct  • Maldives police free protesters but to charge "about 30"  • John Bercow re-elected as Speaker of British House of Commons  • Britain's commercial space project delayed due to Russian rocket failure  • Roundup: Political competition intensifies in Turkey ahead of June elections  • Feature: Greek Aegean island striving to handle huge inflow of immigrants  • Sri Lankan PM says gov't hopes to hold parliamentary elections in July  • FTSE 100 up 0.12 pct on Monday  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Pan-African Parliament meets to deliberate on African issues

Xinhua, May 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) convened its 6th session in Midrand north of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Monday to deliberate on various issues that affect the continent.

The meeting took place at a time when the term of the current parliament is coming to an end on May 26.

The current conflict in Burundi is expected to take center stage at the meeting. Burundians took to the streets earlier this month to protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in office. A coup to overthrow Nkurunziza has been thwarted.

Delivering a keynote speech at the meeting, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called on Burundi to postpone elections to allow for a solution to be found.

"What we called for as a region at the time was that the elections be postponed in order to give us time for us to be able to get to a situation where we get an amicable solution that calls for lasting peace of Burundi," Kenyatta said.

Burundi is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in May and then presidential elections in June. But tension has been high ahead of the polls, exacerbated by Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third term in violation of the Arusha peace and reconciliation deal that brought the country's civil war to an end in 2005.

Kenyatta also urged conflicting parties in Burundi to refrain from violence to "allow us to enhance dialogue between all parties with a hope of reaching consensus that is acceptable."

Kenyatta stressed the importance for the people of Burundi to allow for free, fair and transparent elections in according with their constitution.

Peace and stability are critical in Burundi, he stressed.

Earlier on Monday, Kenyatta reportedly made a phone call to Nkurunziza, reiterating the East African Community's position that he should postpone his country's elections within the constitutionally allowed term of the current Parliament.

Kenyatta made the call from South Africa after meeting with his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma at the presidential guest house in Pretoria.

Kenyatta was in South Africa to address the opening session of the PAP meeting, at which PAP members will debate a report on peace and security in Africa. The report will be presented by former South African President and Chairperson of the Africa Union High Level Panel on illicit Financial Flows from Africa, Thabo Mbeki.

The PAP is one of the organs set up in terms of the African Union's Constitutive Act. It aims to ensure the full participation of African people on issues affecting the continent.

The chairperson of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will also address the gathering. Endi