Burundi: UN envoy praises both sides after first round of peace talks

The United Nations envoy to Burundi has congratulated the leaders of its Government and the armed rebel group Palipehutu-FNL after the two sides held their first talks in the Netherlands this week on a possible ceasefire.

The conflict between Burundi's Government and Palipehutu-FNL (Parti pour la liberation du people Hutu-Forces nationals de liberation-Agathon Rwasa) is the last remaining obstacle to ending a decade of civil war that has left between 250,000 and 300,000 people dead.

Late last year the Government reached a comprehensive ceasefire with Burundi's biggest armed rebel group, the CNDD-FDD (le Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie - Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie).

Berhanu Dinka, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Burundi, praised Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and Palipehutu-FNL for the "positive results that emerged" after four days of talks in the Netherlands.

"The Special Representative encourages both parties to maintain the climate of confidence that has been created, and to immediately pursue discussions in order to conclude a global ceasefire and to put an end to the suffering of the Burundian people," a UN spokesman said in New York.

In another development, officials from the UN refugee agency, Burundi and Tanzania have signed an agreement that should allow many more of the hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees to return from exile in Tanzania.

As part of the deal, formally signed yesterday in Arusha, Tanzania, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will actively promote repatriations to Burundi instead of just supporting those people who are already returning.

The agreement also includes measures to make repatriation smoother, such as simpler customs and immigration procedures and allowing trucks to move across the border.

The agency is anticipating that up to 300,000 Burundians could return home soon as the country's peace process gradually takes root. Since UNHCR began helping with repatriation in March 2002, more than 113,000 refugees have returned.

This week the UNHCR has begun stepping up its presence in Burundi to meet the expected wave of refugees. Field offices are expected to open soon in the eastern and southern provinces that border Tanzania.

The leader of the UNHCR delegation in Arusha, Zobida Hassim-Ashagrie, hailed the deal but warned the refugees still face a difficult time. Burundi already has hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.

"The majority return to find their houses in ruins [and] many lack land to cultivate," she pointed out, adding, "Basic services - health, education, water - are lacking."