Maputo — Defence Minister Tobias Dai told AIM on Wednesday that the Mozambican Defence Force (FADM) is willing to participate in a future African peace keeping mission for Burundi.

He said that currently preliminary contacts are under way between the parties involved in the proposed peace mission - Mozambique, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Burundi itself. Dai plans to visit South Africa shortly to discuss the matter with the South African Defence Minister.

Dai said that the nature of the Mozambican contribution has not yet been decided - whether it will consist simply of military observers, or will be a larger contingent of troops. It is expected that these questions will be clarified over the next few days.

The South African Deputy President, Jacob Zuma, speaking in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, urged the conflict resolution body of the African Union to station an African peace-keeping mission in Burundi as quickly as possible, in order to ensue compliance with the Burundian ceasefire, signed in South Africa in late 2002. It was a statement from Zuma's office which first revealed that the peace-keeping mission is likely to consist of Mozambican, South African and Ethiopian troops.

Zuma also said that African Union member states should finance the mission, and praised the promise by the United Nations Security Council that it would take measures against any states that continue to provide military support for Burundian rebel groups.

The UN has no plans of its own for stationing a peace- keeping force in Burundi - partly because there is still not a total ceasefire. One rebel group, the National Liberation Forces (FNL), has remained outside the peace process.

Zuma is scheduled to travel to Burundi on Wednesday where he will discuss pacification with key figures, including President Pierre Buyoya, and representatives of the 19 political parties who signed a peace accord in Arusha in 2000.