18 August 2000
Dar es Salaam — President Bill Clinton of the United States is expected in Tanzania to witness belligerents in the Burundi civil war sign a peace pact 28 August. The American embassy in Dar es Salaam said in a statement that Clinton would also meet Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa while in the northern town of Arusha during his one-day visit. The two leaders would be among heads of state and government invited to witness the signing of the Burundi peace pact to end the six- year civil war.
This will be Clinton's first visit to Tanzania. He accepted the invitation upon the request of retired South African President Nelson Mandela, facilitator of the Burundi peace process.
Clinton will arrive in Arusha after a visit to Nigeria 25-28 August.
Mandela's representative, Mark Bomani, will 21 August brief journalists on the progress of the Burundi peace negotiations involving 19 factions over the past 23 months.
In a speech beamed via satellite to negotiators in Tanzania February, Clinton urged Burundi's leaders to "accept the risks of peacemaking" and reach a peace settlement before violence ruined their chances for future prosperity.
Fighting between Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army in the country has resulted in the death of more than 200,000 people and the displacement of more than 1.2 million others, mainly civilians, since 1993.
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