Ambroise Niyonsaba, head of the government negotiating team, said the talks with the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital of neighbouring Tanzania, would probably wrap up on Friday.

Talks broke up last week to enable each team to consult with its leaders, Niyonsaba told AFP before flying to Tanzania.

Burundi's civil war broke out in 1993 pitting rebels from the Hutu majority against their Tutsi rivals, who control the military and held sway over the government until the interim power-sharing regime was installed in November 2001. More than 300,000 people, mostly civilians, have died.

An apparent breakthrough was made on July 20 in talks in Dar es Salaam sponsored by regional leaders aimed at persuading the Burundian government and the FDD to implement a ceasefire agreed in December at Arusha in Tanzania.

The deal was signed by former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya and FDD leader Pierre Nkurunziza but never respected, and both sides accuse each other of violating the truce.

Another rebel Hutu group, the National Liberation Forces, is not involved in the discussions and last month it launched a major offensive on the Burundian capital. Its men were forced back by the army but fighting has continued in the surrounding countryside since then.

However, Burundi's current President Domitien Ndayizeye and the FDD leader have agreed to continue negotiations ahead of a summit of regional leaders later this month.

The two sides are expected to discuss integrating the FDD into the army and government, with Ndayizeye predicting agreement in about two weeks.

Meanwhile, Belgian Defence Minister Andre Flahaut, who arrived in Bujumbura late Sunday, said any resumption of military cooperation with Burundi would only be "in stages".

"It is important to learn to walk before you run," cautioned Flahaut, after talks with Ndayizeye and other top officials. "We are going to proceed in stages."

Belgium suspended military aid to its former colony after ethnic massacres rocked the country in 1972, but Bujumbura is seeking a resumption of the ties.

A Belgian diplomatic source said it "premature" to expect the resumption of military ties anytime soon, saying first there would have to be an effective ceasefire and an agreement on integrating the FDD into the armed forces.

WAR.WIRE