Burundian President Expected to Announce Peace Commitment

Burundian President Pierre Buyoya is expected to pledge his commitment regarding the implementation of the whole Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed by Burundi's 19 parties before heads of states of the Great Lakes region, who are scheduled to meet in Tanzania's northern town of Arusha next Monday.

It was announced here Monday by Judge Mark Bomani, a top aide of Nelson Mandela, international facilitator in Burundi conflict and former South African President.

Bomani told reporters that the Burundian president will be required to express his commitment to the implementation of the peace deal before heads of state from the region.

"Burundian President Buyoya is supposed to promise the heads of state from the Great Lakes region that he is going to fulfill all conditions stipulated by the peace accord and those agreed upon at the last consultations held in South Africa under former President Mandela last week," Bomani said.

President Buyoya will assure heads of state from the region that he will form a transitional government of national unity with fair representation of all 19 parties, and his government will carry out quick integration of groups of armed rebels in a new Burundi defense forces and security organs, Bomani said.

Buyoya is also required to give a promise before the heads of states regarding his government's readiness to allow a smooth deployment of international peacekeepers as soon as possible, he added.

Regional leaders are backing negotiations led by Mandela to reestablish peace in Burundi, where more than 250,000 civilians have been killed in ethnic fighting between ethnic majority Hutu rebels and the minority Tutsi-dominated government and army since 1993.

In a peace accord signed last August in Arusha, 19 Burundian parties agreed on a three-year transition to democracy.

However, the peace deal failed to include the two major armed Hutu rebel groups CNDD-FDD and FNL, and fighting has intensified.

After long talks aimed at securing a cease-fire agreement between the Burundi army and the rebels, Mandela announced last week that the 19 negotiating parties had agreed on a three-year transitional government leading to democratic elections.






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