Burundi government officials skip key talks

The dialogue between the opposition and the government was suspended after the officials failed to show up, the talks' facilitator and Ugandan Defense Minister Crypus Kiyonga said on Sunday.

Both sides had previously agreed to continue the negotiations on Sunday morning, with a controversial presidential election set for Tuesday.

"We have been waiting, we have been making calls and we have not seen anyone from government," said Kiyonga.

"The dialogue is not over... we have to be patient, we give the benefit of the doubt to the government," he added.

Election looming

Kiyonga said it was not clear why the government had decided to stay away.

However, Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana said the reason for the absence were statements made by the opposition about the need for democratic institutions.

According to the official, the statements suggested that the government's opponents hoped to take power through a coup. The government intends to discuss the comments with the facilitator before returning to the table, Nduwimana told the Associated Press news agency.

At the same time, the opposition has accused the government of trying to avoid discussing the election. Pierre Nkurunziza (photo above), the current president, is trying to secure a controversial third term.

"The government does not want to discuss the electoral calendar and wants to do everything according to its plan," said opposition spokesman Jean Minani.

Nkurunziza's decision to run for president has sparked violent unrest which has so far claimed dozens of lives and driven some 144,000 people out of the country. Critics of the president claim that his renewed candidacy violates the constitution.

Talks not 'dead'

Nkurunziza's supporters already scored a landslide victory in the parliamentary election in late May, with the opposition boycotting the polls and the international community criticizing the vote as unfair.

The opposition parties have also decided to pull out of Tuesday's ballot, leaving only Nkurunziza and his political allies in the race. Nkurunziza remains a clear favorite.

Nkurunziza has ignored calls from Uganda to postpone the election, pending an agreement with the opposition.

Ugandan Defense Minister Kiyonga , however, said the talks were not yet "dead" and that he was trying to arrange a meeting with Nkurunziza.

"We have to be patient," he said. "Talks can continue even after the election."

dj/cmk (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)