Ndayizeye optimistic about Pretoria meeting with Nkurunziza

Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye has expressed optimism that an agreement would be reached between the government and the movement led by rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza before a regional summit on Burundi is held later in August. "During the last round of talks between the government and CNDD-FDD delegations that took place in Dar es Salaam [Tanzania] in presence of South African Deputy President and facilitator in the Burundi conflict Jacob Zuma, some progress was made, Mr Zuma personally asked me to go to South Africa to meet CNDD-FDD leader Pierre Nkurunziza," Ndayizeye told reporters on Saturday in the capital, Bujumbura. At the same time, the secretary general of the Conseil national de defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD), Hussein Radjabu, told IRIN that a meeting scheduled for Pretoria on Tuesday between Ndayizeye and Nkurunziza and the regional summit would be the last peace negotiations between the movement and the government. "We hope that the two meetings will put an end to our multiple consultations," he said. "It is time to give Burundians the chance to recover peace and development." The Pretoria meeting, described as the first face-to-face meeting with Nkurunziza since Ndayizeye took power, is aimed at finalising talks on power sharing as well as the transformation of the Burundian military. "During the last round of talks, each side gave its proposals on power sharing and these were submitted to the mediation team," Ndayizeye said. "If there are still some points of disagreement, we will ask the heads of state to intervene during the regional summit due to take place at the end of this month, maybe on 24 August or on another date to be determined." The period for the transition in Burundi was agreed upon in August 2000, under South African mediation, whereby the first 18-month phase would be led by a Tutsi and the second one by a Hutu. Ndayizeye took power on 30 April from Pierre Buyoya, who led the first phase. Ndayizeye said he hoped "good results" would be achieved by the end of August, that would reassure Burundians. "It will be a question of implementing an effective permanent ceasefire with the involvement of the FNL [Forces nationales de liberation] of Agathon Rwasa in the process," he said. "We hope the FNL is watching what the others [rebel groups] are doing and that it will soon join them." Rwasa's FNL faction remains the only rebel movement that has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the transitional government. Analysts have speculated that if an agreement on power sharing is reached between CNDD-FDD and the government, the FNL would immediately agree to enter into negotiations with the government. Ndayizeye's optimism was strengthened by the announcement of cessation of hostilities by the CNDD-FDD. Radjabu said on Sunday that the CNDD-FDD decided to cease hostilities during the whole period of talks on power sharing. "We ordered our combatants to stay in their initial positions and to open fire only if they are attacked by the other party [the army]," he told IRIN.