Mandela widely welcomed as facilitator

The government and one faction of the main opposition party FRODEBU have welcomed Wednesday's designation by eastern and southern African leaders of former South African president Nelson Mandela as facilitator of the Burundi peace negotiations in Arusha. "Mandela can help us in this negotiation process. He's a man of international stature ... very experienced in resolution of conflicts and, I think, acceptable to the majority of Burundians. We are glad he has been chosen to lead this process," Hirondelle news agency quoted Burundi President Pierre Buyoya as saying. Jean Minani, leader of the external wing of the opposition Hutu party FRODEBU, said it was very happy to hear Mandela had been chosen as mediator because he was "someone of the highest stature" who had fought all his life against oppression, the agency added. Buyoya also said "the question of the venue, who should assist (and) who should not assist" were for the new facilitator to decide, and he denied that the government had ever said it was against Arusha as a talks venue, Hirondelle reported.