NAIROBI A dozen African presidents have been invited to a summit Monday aimed at pushing a score of Burundian delegations to agree on who should lead the their war-ravaged country during a transition period, according to AFP.

Organized at the behest of the mediator of the Burundi peace process, South African former president Nelson Mandela, the meeting will be held in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha, the traditional venue for Burundi's protracted peace talks.

As well as Burundi's Pierre Buyoya, the heads of state who are almost certain to attend are Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania.

The new President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Joseph Kabila, has also indicated he will be present.

Other leaders who have been invited include presidents Omar Bongo of Gabon, Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo, Olesugun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

The main item on the official agenda is the leadership of a transitional period of administration provided for in an accord signed in Arusha in August by the 19 Burundian delegations that are involved in the peace process.

These delegations are drawn from the government, which, like the army, is mostly made up of members of Burundi's small Tutsi minority, and also from the National Assembly and a variety of political parties both Tutsi and Hutu.

Hutus make up about 85 percent of the population. One of the main aims of the Arusha accord was to distribute power more equitably among the ethnic groups.

The accord was not signed by the two main Hutu rebel groups that have been fighting in Burundi since 1993.

Mandela is also expected to brief the heads of state on the progress made by South African mediators to bring these groups on board the peace process.

The war, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives, has seen little let up since the accord was signed.

There was no indication in the days leading up to the summit of who would emerge as the president during the 30-month interim period or even if such an agreement would be reached in time for the summit.

When the peace and reconciliation accord was signed in August, negotiations and amendments continued well into the night.

A majority of the 19 signatories of the accord are opposed to Buyoya, a Tutsi, staying in power.

Yet there is no single consensus alternative candidate. Various parties have put forward at least six names for the post of interim president.

While the accord calls for a single leader for the transition period, alternative arrangements have been mooted, such as having it divided into two periods of 15 months, or having two vice presidents, or having a prime minister and two deputies.

Buyoya himself returned Friday from a week of talks with Mandela's team in South Africa.

The president has repeatedly maintained that the transitional period cannot begin before a cease-fire is reached with the rebels.

But splits and power struggles in these movements are likely to complicate effective negotiations for a halt in the fighting, AFP reported.