Mandela: Small Tutsi factions are scuttling Burundi peace

Clinton arrived in Arusha on Monday to meet with former South African President Mandela

ARUSHA, Tanzania (CNN) -- Former South African President Nelson Mandela accused small groups of Tutsis on Monday of endangering the chances of a lasting peace agreement between the warring parties of Burundi.

"The smallest parties are those who are sabotaging this agreement," Mandela, who has been mediating the peace talks, told delegates in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha.

Mandela's audience included U.S. President Bill Clinton, who had come to Arusha in hopes of witnessing the signing of a peace accord.

But as Clinton's plane touched down in Tanzania, U.S. officials described the negotiations aimed at ending Burundi's seven-year civil war as "in considerable turmoil."

AUDIO Mandela emphasises the importance of an industrial economy 450K/21 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     GALLERY Click to see images of Clinton in Nigeria     GRAPHICS U.S. Involvement in Africa Map of Clinton's Africa Trip     MESSAGE BOARD U.S. Africa policy

A coalition of 10 Tutsi groups refused to sign the agreement, which would have ended a war that began in 1993 when Tutsi paratroopers assassinated Burundi's first democratically elected president, a Hutu. More than 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the fighting.

Representatives for the parties on the scene said factions of the Tutsi minority, which controls Burundi's army and leads the government, were not prepared to sign a complete peace accord. They favor a more modest document that would reflect agreements on some issues but not the major obstacles to peace.

Most Tutsis want a cease-fire before any signing, while Hutu rebels insist it should take effect only after a peace accord is reached.

Mandela had set an August 28 -- Monday -- deadline for signing an accord in the talks, which began in July 1998. Major issues include ethnic quotas in the military -- a step that would require merging Hutu rebels into the military -- and guarantees that the rights of the Tutsi minority would be protected.

U.S. officials insisted that Clinton's visit should not be viewed as a failure if no comprehensive agreement is struck. They said it was a chance for the United States to make clear its interests -- and support -- for a peace agreement.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King, Producer Ingrid Formanek and Reuters contributed to this report.

Clinton pledges aid, promotes democracy in Nigeria
August 27, 2000
Clinton to meet the people in Nigerian walkabout
August 26, 2000
Clinton says U.S. will be 'friend for life' of Africa
February 17, 2000
Clinton pledges help to ease Nigeria's debt
October 28, 1999
Albright hails Nigerian democracy but warns transition not complete
October 20, 1999
Nigeria's Obasanjo takes plans for democracy on the road
March 30, 1999

allAfrica.com - Clinton: Back to Africa
NigeriaWEB
Nigeria on the Net
US State Department - Bureau of African Affairs
National Security Council
Arusha Town

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.