Tanzania agrees "in principle" to host meeting

Tanzanian has agreed "in principle" to host a meeting aimed at getting two Burundi rebel groups to agree to a cease-fire with the transitional government in Bujumbura, Tanzania radio reported.

The rebel groups are the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie and Forces nationales de liberation. The radio reported at the weekend that Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa also agreed to a South African proposal to give the rebel groups a last chance before the leaders of the Great Lakes region meet to consider the way ahead for the implementation of the Arusha peace accord.

The radio quoted South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma as saying that his talks with the rebel groups had failed to achieve much success as the rebels "were not keen on [the] cease-fire, nor on holding talks with the current government". Zuma proposed giving the rebels a deadline to stop fighting and lay down their arms. Zuma was in Tanzania on Saturday after a two-day visit to Burundi.

South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper quoted South African Foreign Affairs Deputy Director-General Welile Nhlapo as saying that Zuma's visit was to "bridge the gap" between the government and the insurgents, as there was a lack of communication between them. "The South African facilitators have been in regular contact with the Hutu rebels to update them on developments in the peace process and to ease their suspicions of the government," he said.

Negotiations were under way, he said, to train a new integrated Burundian army that would incorporate the rebels. Plans were being put in place, he added, for the South African military to train a Burundian special force that will take over the protection of returned Burundi exiles.

"All stakeholders were hopeful that the Pretoria meeting would thrash out remaining stumbling blocks in the peace process," Nhlapo said. "The facilitators were trying to identify the areas of agreement beforehand so that the meeting could focus solely on the issues of contention."

The Pretoria meeting - between rebels and the government - is scheduled to take place from 31 January to 2 February.