Burundi’s President Domitien Ndayizeye and other key political players in the war-riven central African nation began talks on Saturday in Pretoria to discuss the holding of proposed elections later this year. South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the mediator in the peace process, is overseeing the parleys, which will also touch on continuing rebel attacks and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, South African officials said.
The talks began shortly before noon (10am GMT). The others attending are Pierre Nkurunziza, leader of the former largest rebel grouping, National Council for the Defence of Democracy — Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) and the leaders of the country’s two key political parties. On Friday, the Burundian government called for the postponement of the elections by a year to October 2005, a plan which has to be approved by Parliament if it is to come into force.
Foreign Minister Terence Sinunguruza said in Bujumbura: ”This proposal will be made tomorrow [Saturday] in the talks that are going to be held in South Africa.”
But Zuma said he was not aware of any such proposal. ”I don’t know. I’m not aware of that,” he said on Saturday after holding preliminary talks with the participants.
”Today I will be consulting with the individual parties this afternoon and this evening. Sunday we all come to the plenary,” he said.
”As you know, we will be going to the summit in Dar es Salaam next Saturday and therefore we need to give a report about where we are with the process and what is happening,” he added.
The leaders will discuss the continued fighting by the oldest Hutu rebel group, the National Liberation Forces (FNL), of Agathon Rwasa. Zuma said he was likely to meet with the FNL before the Dar es Salaam summit. ”The meeting with the FNL is back on track,” he said. ”I think I will be meeting them in a week’s time” and most probably before the summit, he said. ”The venue has still to be decided. It could be anywhere. It could be in South Africa… it could be in Tanzania… it could be Kenya.”
Elections planned to be held by the end of October will mark an end to a three-year transition process in Burundi after the signing of the Arusha peace accord to try to bring stability back to the nation. Parties to that have meanwhile formed a transitional powersharing government. The meeting comes against the backdrop of the United Nations assuming peacekeeping responsibilities in Burundi from Tuesday, a move enthusiastically welcomed by Zuma.
Last Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously authorised a force of up to 5 650 military personnel and 120 civilian police in Burundi for an initial period of six months beginning on June 1. The UN troops are mandated to disarm rebels and to help the transitional government proceed with the proposed elections. They are to replace some 2 700 troops from Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa, deployed in Burundi following a December 2002 ceasefire agreement between the transitional government and the main Hutu Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) rebel group.
Since 1993, the Burundi conflict has left at least 300 000 people dead, most of them civilians, and devastated the country’s infrastructure and economy. – Sapa-AFP