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Defence minister meets Mandela

    NAIROBI

    Defence Minister Colonel Cyrille Ndayirukiye held talks in Johannesburg on Thursday with the peace process facilitator, Nelson Mandela, the Burundi embassy in South Africa confirmed to IRIN on Friday. It gave no details of the meeting, but said direct talks between the government and the rebel Forces de defense pour la democratie (FDD) - which also has a delegation in South Africa - were not envisaged “this time”. Mandela’s office on Friday declined to comment. Meanwhile, the BBC quoted FDD spokesman Jerome Ndiho as saying direct talks between the army and the rebels were necessary if the government wanted peace. “The most urgent issue is the ceasefire, there is no time to waste in the overcrowded Arusha talks,” Ndiho said, adding that Mandela was right in taking a “direct path” by holding face-to face talks with those involved in the fighting.

    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

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