UN General Assembly
1996

Israeli people were on the verge of coming true. We commend all those who have been instrumental in promoting the peace process. We urge greater restraint on all sides, which must accept that the secure way to sustainable peace and security is through negotiation. I shall now turn to the Burundi crisis. We see our role in Burundi as one not of benevolence, but of duty — duty to help our brothers and sisters there to step back from the brink of mutual destruction to the middle ground of dialogue, political accommodation and national reconciliation. We began our efforts within the Organization of African Unity and gradually turned over the task of bringing the political forces in sustained dialogue to former President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, within the framework of the Mwanza talks. Not only was the military coup of 25 July 1996 an illegal and unconstitutional act; it also undermined the efforts in the region to promote dialogue and restore peace to that most tormented country. The coup is unacceptable to all regional leaders and we demand a