[Bernard Shaw, Cnn Anchor:] Under pressure from the president of the United States and former South African President Nelson Mandela, a group of Tutsi politicians signed a power-sharing agreement for Burundi on Monday. But the new pact designed to end Burundi's civil war does not have unanimous support. The Burundi peace talks were held in neighboring Tanzania. CNN's John King reports.
[John King, Cnn Sr. White House Correspondent:] They entered smiling, a picture designed to project power and prestige. But before long, both the former South African president and the U.S. leader were voicing their disappointment.
[Nelson Mandela, Fmr. South African President:] We have a section of the leadership who do not care for the slaughter of innocent people inside Burundi, who never think in terms of money, who do not appreciate the generosity of the international community.
[King:] This was to be a signing ceremony for a comprehensive peace accord to end the seven years of deadly civil strife in Burundi. Instead, an interim agreement was on the table and some parties to the talks were refusing even to sign that. It left unresolved the critical obstacles to peace: arrangements for a cease-fire, and agreement on a transitional government, and a return to democracy. President Clinton pleaded with the parties to lock in the progress they have made so far and then get to work on the major issues, and he warned of the consequences if some parties refused to sign and even the interim agreement proves to be worthless.
[William J. Clinton, President Of The United States:] If you don't do it, what is the chance that the progress you have made will unravel? If you come back in five or 10 years, will the issues have changed? I think not. The gulf between you won't narrow, but the gulf between Burundi and the rest of the world, I assure you, will grow wider if you let this moment slip away.
[King:] The civil war began in 1993 when Tutsi paratroopers ousted the democratically-elected Hutu president. More than 200,000 have been killed, more than a million displaced from their homes. Mr. Clinton could not hide his disappointment, but U.S. officials rushed to make the case that he was not to blame for the failure of the talks. Aides stress Mr. Clinton took no direct role in the negotiations and they say he came mostly out of respect for Mr. Mandela. John King, CNN, Arusha, Tanzania.