Pro-Tutsi parties willing to sign “conditionally”

The sides have been studying a draft peace accord circulated at the last round of talks in July. Six pro-Tutsi parties have indicated their willingness to sign the document but gave conditions, the private Burundi Netpress news agency reported. At a press conference in Bujumbura on Friday, the six - ANNADE (National Alliance for Rights and Development), Inkinzo (Guarantor of Freedom of Speech in Burundi), PIT (Independent Workers’ Party), PSD (Social Democratic Party), RADDES (Rally for Democratic and Economic and Social Development) and UPRONA-Rukingama (Union for National Progress-Information Minister Luc Rukingama faction) - said the draft was not balanced, particularly on issues such as genocide, power sharing, the electoral system and the security forces.

If certain clauses were modified, the parties said they would be prepared to sign “even before 28 August”, the news agency reported. They refused to be drawn on whether they would support President Pierre Buyoya as transitional president as he “has not yet declared his candidacy”.