BUJUMBURA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Burundian government and the United Nations are discussing reopening Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Burundi, the Burundian foreign minister said Monday.
"Discussions between the Burundian government and UN have reached a satisfactory step," said Burundian External Relations and International Cooperation Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe.
He, however, abstained from saying the exact date of the reopening of the office, underlining that there are some pending issues that have not yet reached an agreement.
"For reasons of discretion, I cannot reveal provisions that have not yet met an agreement," said Nyamitwe.
He indicated that there is a "good willingness" on both sides for reopening the Office.
Relations between the Burundian government and OHCHR in Burundi were suspended since Oct. 11, 2016 after the Burundian government accused the latter of playing a role in preparing a "biased and controversial" report written by three UN experts on violations of human rights in Burundi that was published in September 2016.
In the report, the experts documented "gross and abundant" human rights violations in Burundi between April 2015 and June 2016. They had also warned of a risk of genocide in Burundi if preventive measures are not taken.
