Setback if rebels stay away, UN official says

If the rebel groups fail to show up in Arusha this week, the peace process will suffer a major setback, the UN’s acting Emergency Relief Coordinator Carolyn McAskie told IRIN. McAskie, who visited the region last week, said that since Mandela took over, the peace process was “qualitatively different”. “Both sides [rebels and government] have moved ahead,” she said. “The real issues are now on the table, a year ago they weren’t even on the table. She added that “Mandela’s approach to push is the right one...it is bit of a wake-up call for everybody”. “The critical point is to see whether the armed groups come to the table. If it doesn’t happen it will be a real setback,” McAskie warned. On the humanitarian side, she said the UN was organising itself to ensure it was ready to assist those who would need the most help if the peace accord was signed. She added that “quiet discussions” had been held with the rebel movements on the humanitarian situation regarding the need to respect humanitarian principles and access for aid deliveries. “The situation is mixed in terms of security at the moment,” she said, following a visit to Burundi last week. Although the government was starting to dismantle regroupment camps around Bujumbura, there were reports that people were still returning to the sites to use health services and water points.