E/CN.4/1991/56 page 67 Religious practices are elements of social life in Burundi, and as is appropriate, the State merely harmonizes religious practices with other social activities. As the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses have already been rejected by the people to whom they were directed, the State has no other alternative than to comply with the deepest wishes of the people. However, the leaders of the Third Republic have not departed from their initial intentions and constantly wish to maintain close co-operation with all religions in Burundi, without any form of discrimination whatsoever. A Department of Religious Affairs exists within the Ministry of the Interior to ensure a dialogue between the representatives of religions and the State. The delegation of Burundi has but one recommendation to make to the Jehovah's Witnesses who wish to be heard in Burundi: they should apply to that Department to initiate a constructive dialogue, rather than engage in a sterile confrontation. Statement by Mr. Muyovu Gregoire. Deputy Permanent Representative at the forty-second session of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities One file is nevertheless still pending before your Sub-Commission: that concerning the recognition of Jehovah's Witnesses. Although the situation has evolved since last year, when we proposed, through a statement before the Sub-Commission, a constructive dialogue between the Jehovah's Witnesses who wish to be heard in Burundi and the country's Government, a proposal that did not go unanswered (a European delegation of Jehovah's Witnesses has just visited Burundi, where it held fruitful discussions with the authorities responsible for religious affairs), and although the situation has continued to evolve, the position of the Government of Burundi remains clear. Burundi is a secular State in which freedom of religion is guaranteed to authorized congregations and sects, which coexist in large numbers in Burundi; However, exercise of this freedom is subject to respect for social organization, for public order and for national laws and regulations; If some members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were imprisoned for several days last year, it was because they had committed breaches of law and order. No person is currently detained in Burundi on grounds linked to the exercise of his religion, for the relevant laws and regulations are better observed. The Government of Burundi will take a sovereign decision to grant or refuse authorization to Jehovah's Witnesses. The grounds for its decision will be explained, and both those concerned and the Sub-Commission will be informed of its decision."