Buyoya labels deal an “important step”

Burundi President Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi himself who has braved the wrath of the opponents of the accord, said it was an important step forward, but added many changes had been made to the final document to make it more acceptable to the Tutsi minority. “We have a feeling that we have made an important step in the search for peace and the fight for peace still continues,” President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi told Radio Umwizero the day after the signing ceremony on 28 August. “At the time of my departure (for the signing) I said we shall do everything to make sure that after 28 August we will continue to fight for peace and that it will not be the end. We have achieved that objective.” According to Buyoya, the draft was greatly modified: “The government had pointed out areas to be corrected - three-quarters of these areas were corrected,” he added, but noted there were still areas of disagreement.