Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the House of Representatives Election in Burundi

July 8, 2005

Japan welcomes the news that on July 4 the House of Representatives election in Burundi was conducted in a peaceful manner with fairness and transparency and that the peace process in the country has made a great advance.
Japan has been extending steady assistance to Burundi from the viewpoint that its sustainable peacemaking is extremely important for peace and stability not only in Burundi but also in Africa as a whole.
Japan strongly hopes that the Senate election and the presidential election to be held in Burundi in the near future will be also conducted in a transparent and democratic manner and that the new government elected by the will of the people will exert its efforts for national reconciliation and reconstruction of the country.

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