Security Council mission wraps up 8-nation trip to Africa's Great Lakes region

A delegation of the United Nations Security Council today wrapped up its eight-nation mission to the Great Lakes region of Africa, as it held what a UN spokesman described as a "positive" two-hour meeting in Rwanda with President Paul Kagame and other senior officials.

Yesterday, the 15-member delegation, whose visit has been aimed at shoring up support for regional peace initiatives, met in Bujumbura, Burundi, with President Pierre Buyoya and Deputy President Domitien Ndayizeye.

At a press conference before leaving for Rwanda, Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France, who led the mission, said "the message of the Security Council to President Buyoya was simple: continue reform."

Ambassador Levitte added that the Council had encouraged the transitional government and parliament in Burundi to "fully implement in the coming months the political, social and economical reforms that were part of the Arusha agreement."