Political progress made, peace mediator Zuma says

After two days of consultations with Burundian political parties, South Africa’s deputy president and mediator in Burundi’s crisis, Jacob Zuma, said except for "two outstanding issues", a draft agreement reached in Pretoria last week was ready for implementation. The agreement is meant to serve as the basis for the country’s new constitution. Burundi’s transitional period leading to democratic rule is set to end on 1 November but, so far, neither the constitution nor other legal documents have been adopted. One outstanding issue is whether the Tutsi dominated parties could take control of 40 percent of the national assembly and 40 percent of ministerial posts. The other issue is the post of vice-president. UPRONA (the Parti de l'unite pour le Progrès National) and other Tutsi dominated parties had rejected the agreement reached in Pretoria saying Zuma had privileged the interests of the Hutu dominated parties known as the G-7. The Tutsi parties walked out of a meeting with Zuma and the G-7 parties on Tuesday, after Zuma refused to meet separately with the Tutsis. They do not want Tutsis from the G-7 to be included in the 40 percent. The issue of the vice-president is that UPRONA is calling for only one person to that post, who should be given "full powers". URONA wants the vise-president empowered to countersign all decrees and appointments signed by the president. In spite of these differences Zuma said he remained optimistic. "All the parties now largely agree to the Pretoria accord," he said on Tuesday at a news conference. He said issues of power sharing were always ongoing. They "take place before elections, after elections and perhaps decades from now. But Burundians can resolve them themselves," he added. His consultations in Bujumbura took place after last week’s negotiations on power sharing in Pretoria attended by three main political parties, UPRONA, FRODEBU (Forces de Changement Démocratique), and the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie. Burundi’s political groups had been divided on the meeting’s outcome. Burundi’s current vice-president, Alphonse Marie Kadege, had called the negotiations "a total failure". However, Zuma said he clarified key issues with Kadege when they met in Bujumbura. "I don’t think he thinks Pretoria was a failure anymore," Zuma said.