Annan wants support for Burundi deal

The United Nations' Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has called on all the warring parties in Burundi to sign a peace accord negotiated in Tanzania earlier this week.

All seven Hutu parties involved in the Arusha talks signed, but not the two main Hutu rebel groups. However, one of them, the FDD, has said it supports the accord. In a statement, Mr Annan welcomed the agreement but regretted that not all parties had signed it.

The peace mediator, the former South African president Nelson Mandela, has already strongly criticised those Tutsi parties which did not sign. The Burundian president, Pierre Buyoya, who signed the deal said the lack of assurances for a ceasefire meant the agreement was incomplete.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service