The European Union condemns the 28 August killings of civilians by rebels in Bujumbura. The EU urges all parties to refrain from any violence and to fully respect the human rights. The EU calls all the Burundians to preserve the on-going process of national reconciliation and in particular the Arusha negotiations which are entering into a critical phase. The EU stresses to all Burundians that peace and stability can be achieved only through a negotiated political settlement and encourages all Burundians to support these negotiations.

The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union, the associated countries Cyprus and Malta, and the EFTA countries, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this declaration.