Government calls for talks with rebels

Foreign Minister Severin Ntahomvukiye has reiterated his country’s call for all armed factions to take part in the Arusha peace process. In his speech to the UN General Assembly on Saturday, he warned that time was against the peace process “which is fragile”. “If, after being invited, the armed factions or other parties to the negotiations, refuse the peace process, then we will agree with the mediator’s idea by which Burundi - in close cooperation with its neighbours - will isolate and neutralise the rebellion or other recalcitrant sides.” His comments were echoed by government spokesman Luc Rukingama on Monday who said the government had decided to follow up contacts with the rebels “where the mediators have failed to do so”. Interviewed by Radio France Internationale, he said it was possible to “negotiate on the sidelines” of the peace process. CNDD-FDD spokesman Jerome Ndiho told the radio the comments were a “small step in the right direction”. However, “we will only take this statement seriously after confirmation from Major Buyoya”, he added. “We are no longer interested in Arusha. We want direct negotiations between the two sides.”