Talks on track, despite controversy over Mandela's comments

At the end of the first week of resumed Burundi peace talks, regional analysts remained optimistic despite a statement issued by Tutsi-dominated parties warning they may reject the facilitation.

They were angry over comments by the mediator, Nelson Mandela, in which he stated that the Tutsis monopolised power. "Despite the excessive emotions generated by the facilitator's remarks, a permanent rift is out of the question because it was in good faith and not out of malice against the Tutsi," Jan van Eck of the South-Africa based Centre for Conflict Resolution told IRIN. "If it were not for the stature of president Mandela, I am sure some of the parties would have already walked out of the talks." He said it was now necessary to build confidence between the facilitation team and the negotiating sides. Ambassador Welile Nhalapo, a senior adviser to Mandela, accused the eight Tutsi parties of "bad faith" by issuing their declaration.

The Tutsi parties accuse the Nyerere Foundation of trying "mislead" Mandela. "Mandela is a good man, but some members of the facilitation team gave him a wrong briefing to the effect that the Tutsi dominate everything, which is dangerous," Joseph Nzeyimana who leads the RADDES
party told IRIN. However, Ambassador Welile Nhalapo said this was untrue. "The facilitator is an experienced man and has various information sources on what is going on in Burundi," he told IRIN.

Fabienne Hara of the Brussels-based think tank, International Crisis Group, said Mandela's comments on Tutsi domination had two sides. "On one hand he raised taboo issues like the status of the Tutsi which can help in demystifying the ethnic issue," she said. "However the comments can also can have a negative effect, given the sensitivity of the ethnic question
based on real fears and undermine the peace process."