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South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma was expected on Monday in the Tanzanian commercial city of Dar es Salaam to oversee peace talks between the transitional government of Burundi and the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie rebel faction led by Pierre Nkurunziza.
Zuma's office reported that he left the country at about 1:00 pm local time.
Discussions have been continuing between the technical teams of the two parties since the 21 July, following a regional consultative meeting that took place in Dar es Salaam on 20 July, the office said.
The two sides are working on finalising issues which include the conclusion of a Forces Technical Agreement, participation in the Joint Ceasefire Commission and power sharing, Zuma's office.
The current talks will culminate in a summit of the Great Lakes Regional Initiative on Burundi in two weeks, the office reported.
Although the Dar es Salaam talks do not include the Forces nationales de liberation rebel group led by Agathon Rwasa, Zuma has invited the FNL to join a separate negotiation process with the Burundian government, the office said.
Zuma is expected to return to South Africa on Wednesday.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
