The former South African president, Mr Nelson Mandela, has closed a regional peace summit on Burundi with assurances that a transition government will emerge in November. He also gave a tongue-lashing to warring parties for having failed to agree to a ceasefire.
A clearly exasperated Mr Mandela lambasted the government, the rebel movements and political parties in Burundi for lacking the political will to make peace.
"Hardly any party in Burundi appears to be in a hurry for a settlement," he said, adding that the peace process has been "alarmingly slow, painful and costly." Mr Mandela, the chief mediator in the peace process, indicated that no agreement had been reached at the one-day summit in Pretoria on the composition of a protection force for some 150 exiled politicians who will return to Burundi to participate in the power-sharing government - the crucial issue Thursday's talks were meant to resolve.
Plans have been under way for Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa to supply soldiers for the protection force, but Mr Mandela said, "It is not going to be easy to mobilise the four countries to put troops in Burundi." He said he would instead ask his successor, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, to supply troops to protect the returning exiles so the inauguration of the government can take place by the November 1st deadline.
The government will be led for the first 18 months by Burundian President Pierre Buyoya, a Tutsi, with Mr Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, as vice-president.
Mr Mandela said Mr Buyoya and Mr Jean Minani, the leader of the FRODEBU, the main Hutu opposition party in Burundi, had agreed on the composition of the transition government's parliament.
"Each 19 of the political parties will have four members in the National Assembly and will be represented in various structures of the government."
Mr Mandela said this deal "has lifted the gloom" which had enveloped the negotiations.
He reminded Mr Buyoya that he had not come to power democratically, but seized control of the country.
"They are in power because he overthrew a democratically elected government, FRODEBU, which had polled four times more than UPRONA." Mr Mandela said Mr Buyoya tried to legitimise Tutsi-dominated rule in Burundi by saying that the Hutu majority were also represented in parliament and the army.