/ 25 March 2000

PROGRESS IN BURUNDI TALKS

THE head of Burundi’s second guerrilla army agreed on Friday to join peace talks in Tanzania alongside the leader of the biggest rebel group, who agreed on Monday to take part, though setting terms. Kabura Cossana, who described himself as the commanding officer of the National Liberation Forces, told journalists he had agreed to join the talks in Arusha, northern Tanzania, at the invitation of mediator Nelson Mandela. “We agreed to participate,” he said. His agreement will bring the number of groups taking part in the talks to 20, representing all facets of life in the tiny central African country. They include the government, opposition parties, and civic groups. Mandela, speaking on the porch of his Johannesburg house, said he had invited Cossana to a two-day talks session starting on Monday.

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