Transitional presidency issue some way off in Arusha

The Burundi peace process had not yet reached the stage of choosing a leader for any transitional administration that might emerge, an official from the facilitation team, Judge Mark Bomani, told IRIN on Wednesday. “The negotiations are at the point of discussing the period, mandate and institutional structures of the transitional period,” he said. Burundi radio had on Monday quoted the Secretary-General of the Front pour la democratie au Burundi (FRODEBU), Domitien Ndayizeye, as saying that the transitional president would “definitely be” from his party. Ndayizeye did accept, however, that all political parties involved in the Arusha talks had the option of presenting a candidate, provided they lobbied sufficiently to be accepted by the delegations involved in the process.

Bomani said the leadership of the transitional authority that emerged in Burundi was not currently being discussed in Arusha, where the fifth committee was looking at the potential for guaranteeing implementation of all that was stipulated in the draft peace proposal, currently on the table