The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Zephania Ubwani, Arusha?the Full Integration of Burundi Into the East African Community (eac) Will Be Further Delayed By Legal Technicalities And Domestic Problems.
15 January 2008
EAC secretary-general Juma Mwapachu said the Burundian parliament was yet to be constituted to pick the country's members of the East African Legislative Assembly. ??He was speaking to journalists after receiving aspecial message from President Pierre Nkuruzinza of Burundi at the EAC secretariat offices.??He said Burundi and Rwanda, which were admitted into the regional body on July 1 last year, were also awaiting ratification of amendments tothe EAC Treaty in order to become full members. ??"What we have agreed upon is that the ratification process must be speeded up", he said. He spoke after talks with the Burundi delegation which was led by Sheikh Mohamed Rukara.??Mr Mwapachu said already 75 per cent of the integration process for the two countries into EAC had been completed. ??Sheikh Rukara, who is a special envoy of the ruling CNDD and advisor to the second vice president of Burundi, could not reveal the contents of his message to Mr Mwapachu.??However, he confirmed that it concerned Burundi's membership to the regional body which his country is delighted to have been admitted to. ??According to Mr Mwapachu, a total of 20 professional staff from Burundi and Rwanda would soon join the EAC secretariat in Arusha.
?Burundi and Rwanda became full EAC members from July 1 last year.
Other members of the regional body with 110 million people and a combined GDP of $ 40 billion (about Sh46 billon) are Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
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