Buyoya meets FRODEBU, FROLINA leaders

While in Tanzania, President Buyoya met with leaders of the FRODEBU party, Jean Minani, and that of FROLINA, Joseph Karumba, Burundi radio said. With Minani, Buyoya discussed what was being done in the setting up of the transitional institutions. “We discussed the strategies adopted so as to respect our deadlines,” Buyoya said. Buyoya said it was the first time he met Karumba. “His movement is signatory to the Arusha agreement. He has been encouraged to return home like others,” Buyoya noted, adding that Karumba expressed his concerns. “They were fruitful talks because such contacts are necessary in the creation of trust and they are necessary in the phase in which we are,” he added. In an interview with BBC Kirundi service, Karumba, for his part, said that Buyoya’s wish to meet with them was a “positive step”. “He asked us to return home and come to help him build the country. We accepted to return but said it was not yet time to do so because some basic conditions have not been met some work will have to be done while we are waiting to return home,” he said. “We want a solution to the question of security. For example we agreed that half of the army will be made of people brought in by the Burundi government led by Buyoya and the other half by us, those fighting,” he explained. “All should make up a special unit. There should be time to train that unit so that it takes up the job of providing security to Burundians. After that it takes up the job of providing security to Burundians,” Karumba said. “After that reforms should be done in the army so that the new members of the army play a role in protecting the country if that is not done nothing would be achieved even after 1 November,” he added.