Army, parties not to attend talks

The Burundi army and several parties will not attend the new round of talks due to take place in Arusha on Thursday, government sources told IRIN on Wednesday. Army spokesman Augustin Nzabampema told IRIN no delegation from the army was going for the Arusha meeting. A government official said there were reports earlier on Wednesday that UPRONA, PARENA and CNDD and the G10 parties had said they would not attend the meeting. “The first three parties said they would not attend, because their priority is to have the ceasefire first,” the official said. “They also said that as long as the talks will be chaired by Judge Mark Bomani, whom they accuse of being biased, the talks would flop,” the source added. He, however, said the group of eight parties were going to attend the talks.

The independent Hirondelle news agency quoted Bomani as saying the G10 parties, senior army officers and representatives of churches and the civil society had been invited for Thursday’s meeting. “We have invited them all and nobody has refused the invitation, so we think they will all participate,” Bomani said on Tuesday. The talks would centre on the leadership of the transitional period.