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Burundi prisoner release 'soon'
17/06/2007 21:28 - (SA)
Dar Es Salaam - Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza and the leader of Burundi's holdout rebels have agreed that rebel members held in Burundian prisons be released.
This has been a key issue that has slowed down implementation of a nine-month old cease-fire.
Government and rebel officials had not been able to agree on which members of the rebel National Liberation Force in prison qualify as political prisoners and be released under the terms of a permanent cease-fire agreement signed in September.
"We have agreed to release the prisoners after submission of a list from" the National Liberation Force, Nkurunziza said at the end of face-to-face talks with Agathon Rwasa, leader of the rebel group.
The meeting took place under the mediation of Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.
The agreement is "very encouraging and it will instill confidence," Rwasa said.
The leaders have not set a time for the list of political prisoners to be submitted or when they will be released.
It was not clear whether the two leaders were able to agree on what political positions the rebels will be entitled to, which has been another major obstacle to implementing the cease-fire.
All of Burundi's main rebel groups from the majority Hutus have signed peace deals, leading to democratic elections in 2005 that established Nkurunziza's administration.
Only the National Liberation Force, which is also a Hutu rebel group, held out on the earlier peace agreements.
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