Government surprised over Nyerere comments

The Burundian government has expressed surprise over comments by Julius Nyerere, the facilitator of the Arusha peace process, who accused it of obstructing the talks at the end of the last session on Saturday. In a statement sent to IRIN on Thursday, the government said the allegations had no foundation whatsoever. Stressing its commitment to both the internal and external peace processes, the government said it refused to be the scapegoat for the slow progress in Arusha. It noted the urgent need for an end to the violence in Burundi. "Whereas other [peace] negotiations begin with a ceasefire, in Arusha the issue is constantly avoided," the statement said. "The continuing hostilities render the peace process nonsensical." Nyerere had accused the government of trying to "stall" the process, when it suspended talks for a day in memory of the victims of violence. "Excluding certain armed groups from the Arusha talks constitutes a hindrance to the peace process which must be removed," the statement went on. "In so-called global negotiations, what possible reason can there be for rejecting one party or another?" Nyerere has so far resisted including the main armed rebel group, Forces de defense pour la democratie (FDD), in the talks. The government believes FDD should take part in the process, and FDD has warned it will continue the violence unless it is invited to Arusha.