"Some disagreement" between Buyoya and Nyerere

President Pierre Buyoya on Sunday held talks with the Burundi peace process mediator, former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere, in a meeting described as "successful". Burundi's Senior Presidential Adviser Apollinaire Gahungu told IRIN however there were "some issues of disagreement". He added it was difficult to speak of progress in the Arusha peace process when rebel attacks were still being launched from Tanzanian territory. According to a Burundi government statement sent to
IRIN on Monday, Buyoya's visit to Tanzania enabled him to discuss with both Nyerere and Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa the security problems along the two countries' common border. Nyerere said the both countries must find a solution to this problem which risked "inflaming" bilateral ties.

Nyerere and Buyoya expressed the hope that the Arusha process would be speeded up. According to the statement, Nyerere said he would invite the rebel Forces democratiques pour la democratie (FDD) to the talks, from which they have so far been excluded. However Gahungu clarified to IRIN that Nyerere stressed they could not come "under the banner of CNDD", which is represented by Leonard Nyangoma. The CNDD-FDD faction opposes Nyangoma.

Meanwhile, the Burundi government expressed concern over a recent meeting in Moshi, Tanzania, between seven Hutu-dominated parties, reportedly facilitated by the Nyerere Foundation. Gahungu said the aim of the meeting - which included the exiled faction of FRODEBU and CNDD - was for the parties to find a common platform to be presented at the Arusha talks. The
Arusha process resumed on Monday. According to the government statement, public opinion in Burundi believes the Moshi meeting was aimed at the "ethnic bipolarisation of the inter-Burundi talks".