Burundi leader questions Mandela's peace plan

Mandela speaks to reporters Wednesday in Arusha, Tanzania, where he is mediating talks aimed at ending Burundi's civil war

July 20, 2000
Web posted at: 1:28 p.m. EDT (1728 GMT)

ARUSHA, Tanzania (Reuters) -- Burundi President Pierre Buyoya said on Thursday changes needed to be made to a draft peace plan proposed by Nelson Mandela to end the country's seven-year-old civil war.

Mandela's mediation team has circulated a draft peace accord to Burundi's warring parties this week, and Mandela says he is confident they will sign a final accord on August 28.

But at a peace summit in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha, Buyoya said there was still much work to be done to end the conflict between his Tutsi-dominated army and Hutu rebels.

	MESSAGE BOARD
U.S. Africa policy

"In the document, there are important questions that need a review," he told reporters.

Signing an accord next month "is possible only if we put in place a new methodology which allows us to deal with the outstanding issues," he said.

Under the draft accord, the Tutsi minority, which has dominated Burundi's political and economic life since independence, would have to hand over power to a democratically elected government in three years' time.

A number of safeguards would be built in to protect and reassure the Tutsis -- including a powerful upper house of parliament split 50-50 along ethnic lines -- and an ethnically balanced army. But Buyoya, a Tutsi former army major, said more was needed.

"The electoral system needs a fundamental review, and there are still questions concerning the guarantees where things are not clear," Buyoya said.

Disagreements remain

Burundi's civil war began in 1993 when Tutsi soldiers assassinated the country's first democratically elected president.

Melchior Ndadaye came from the ethnic Hutu majority, and his death marked the start of a Hutu insurgency, a conflict which has also spilled over into neighboring Rwanda.

Two other questions also need to be resolved before a peace deal is signed, Mandela said on Wednesday.

There is still disagreement over who should lead a transitional government before elections are held, and over whether a ceasefire should come into effect before an accord can be signed.

Buyoya had been seen as favorite to lead the transition government, but many of the opposition parties in Arusha are fiercely opposed to the idea of extending his rule.

The president says he will step down if the parties can find a compromise candidate -- an offer he repeated on Thursday.

Many of Hutu parties in Arusha, including the armed rebel group CNDD-FDD, attending the talks for the first time, are also demanding the release of "political prisoners" before a peace agreement is signed.

It is a call backed by Mandela, but so far opposed by Buyoya.

"We have discussed this issue with the mediator at length in South Africa and in Burundi, but we haven't arrived at an agreement," Buyoya said. "We have decided to agree to continue to debate the question."

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more Africa news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Africa

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.