Polls possible by October deadline, Nkurunziza says

Organising general elections in Burundi by 31 October, the deadline for the conclusion of a three-year transitional period, is feasible, says Pierre Nkurunziza, the head of the former largest rebel movement in the country, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD). The CNDD-FDD recently transformed itself into a political party. Registering voters and preparing voting centres could take place in just two weeks, Nkurunziza told IRIN during an interview in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He was also optimistic that Burundi's peace process would go forward despite the fact that one rebel movement has continued to commit atrocities, the latest being the massacre of some 160 Congolese Tutsi refugees on 13 August at a camp in Burundi. [On the Net: The full interview with Pierre Nkurunziza]