Foreign Minister says ties with Nyerere "not cut"

Burundian Foreign Minister Severin Ntahomvukiye has said that despite accusations against the government by peace process mediator Julius Nyerere, the "ties have not been cut". The Agence burundaise de presse (ABP) reported him as telling diplomats last week it was time to "close the chapter and move forward". "The government does not believe the mediator has it in for us," he said. He added that Nyerere himself "regretted having gone so far in his accusations" and that he had sent his envoy, former Tanzanian premier Joseph Warioba, to Bujumbura for discussions. The Burundian government was still in favour of the Arusha process, although it wanted a change in the "methodology", Ntahomvukiye added. "If we carry on as we have been doing for the last 13 months, the process risks stalling, becoming desperate and failing. It's necessary to improve the procedure and the rhythm." He reiterated the government's position that all sides in the conflict should be represented at Arusha, including the rebel CNDD-FDD faction of Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, so far excluded from the talks and responsible for many of the armed attacks in Burundi. Nyerere has accused the Burundi government of "blocking" the peace process.