Burundi talks open in Arusha

The fourth round of Burundi peace talks opened in Arusha last night with an appeal to participants by mediator Julius Nyerere not to “unnecessarily prolong” the process. He added: “We can’t end this century without giving hope to the people of Burundi,” the independent Agence Hirondelle reported. Among the issues being discussed at the talks are the lifting of regional sanctions on the Burundi government, the inclusion of CNDD-FDD in the peace process, and the freeing of political prisoners. Nyerere proposed a South African general as deputy to Father Matteo Zuppi of the Italian San’Egidio community in the peace and security commission. The Arusha peace process has cost US $1.1 million between June and December 1998 and is projected to rise to US $6 million by June 1999. Nyerere stressed donors would be unwilling to fund endless talks. A spokesman for the CNDD-FDD faction in Belgium told IRIN that a team from the party was en route to Arusha but that they were still not officially invited. “We are accustomed to being in the corridors”, the spokesman said. In any case, he added, “the cards are being played in Burundi”.