Contact with rebels crucial for talks’ progress

A spokesman for the Burundi peace process facilitator said on Wednesday that the committee discussing Burundian peace and security issues in Arusha, Tanzania, may need to meet at least once more before Easter to complete its work, news agencies reported. The spokesman, Hashim Mbita, said members of the peace committee could not proceed with their work until the facilitator, Nelson Mandela, met with Hutu rebel groups not participating in the Arusha talks, the Internews agency reported. It said Mandela was scheduled to meet with the rebel groups sometime this month. Meanwhile, Tanzania’s ‘The Guardian’ newspaper on Thursday quoted Mbita as saying that Mandela was expected to meet the rebels and Burundian military leaders “any time from now.” Some of the 19 delegations taking part in the negotiations were optimistic that a signed agreement could be concluded by late April or early May, ‘The Guardian’ said, adding that current committee consultations were expected to wind up on 5 March.