Accord may not be signed next week - Buyoya

Meanwhile, President Pierre Buyoya who returned home on Friday after a four-day working visit to South Africa, indicated that the peace accord may not be signed on the due date of 28 August. He told Burundi radio that during his trip to South Africa - where he met key players in the peace process along with the mediator Nelson Mandela - there had been agreement on many issues. However, he said the issue of the transition was not really discussed. Regarding the 28 August signing date he said: “We explained our deepest concerns to the mediator clearly and openly. We may not be ready. He said that he understood us and would look into fixing another date, should the need arise.”