"Huge gaps" remain between negotiating parties

Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans has praised Nelson Mandela for reinvigorating the Arusha peace process, but cautions that unless several outstanding issues are "comprehensively dealt with", there is little chance of a lasting settlement. Evans, who has recently toured the Great Lakes region and met with local actors and senior political figures, told IRIN on Tuesday that quite apart from the immediate concern of a ceasefire, three "huge gaps" between the parties still need to be bridged before a final accord could be reached. These were: the reintegration of rebel forces into the army and civil society, the question of accountability of those guilty of crimes against humanity, and the management of the political transition.

Evans, who is currently president and chief executive of the
Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), said that unless "these major issues are dealt with on a basis genuinely acceptable to all parties, there is a huge risk any agreement would fall apart at the implementation phase." The ICG recently set up a regional office in Nairobi and plans to expand its activities in the coming months.
[http://www.crisisweb.org]