Nelson Mandela, the former South African President, has arrived in the Tanzanian town of Arusha to launch his first attempt at revitalising talks to end the civil war in Burundi.

During his one-day visit he is to hold meetings with 18 parties, including the government and opposition groups, and will meet donors such as the European Union and the United States.

Mr Mandela said the purpose of the negotiations was "to bring peace and political stability to Burundi, and to stop the senseless slaughter of innocent civilians".

He remained cautious on hopes for a breakthrough however, despite earlier optimism about reaching a deal early in the New Year.

Mr Mandela was named as the new mediator in peace talks in December, replacing former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, who died in October.

He said then he hoped to include all sides in the conflict in new talks, warning "we cannot sideline anybody who can create instability in the country".

Previous efforts under Mr Nyerere were considered to have failed because rebel Hutu groups were excluded from the negotiations.

The main rebel alliance, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy and the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), remains excluded however - it wants its own direct negotiations with the government.

Burundi's ambassador to the UN, Marc Nteturuye, has pledged his support to the renewed peace effort and to Mr Mandela's role as mediator.

"Although the war is continuing in Burundi, the government is convinced that political dialogue is the only path that can restore peace and security to the country", Mr Nteturuye said on Friday.

Frustating year

Julius Nyerere tried for over a year to end the fighting between the Tutsi-led government, which took power in a coup in 1996, and the Hutu rebels.

Mr Nyerere did not accept the CNDD-FDD alliance, led by Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, at earlier meetings in Arusha because of its use of terror tactics.

The Reuters news agency reports that according to government sources, direct negotiations with CNDD-FDD began in secret last year, but the two sides remain far apart.

Foreign donors have spent over US$8m funding the talks, and have expressed frustration at the lack of progress.

They are expected to be asked for a further US$2.5m on Sunday.

Tutsi coup

The civil war in Burundi began in 1993 after the murder of the country's first democratically-elected Hutu president by Tutsi soldiers.

The current Tutsi-led government is led by Major Pierre Buyoya, who took power in a military coup in 1996.

Hutus form about 85% of Burundi's population, and the Hutus who took up arms against the Tutsi-led government accuse it of discrimination against Hutus in all fields.

The government has moved thousands of mainly Hutu villagers in "regroupment" camps. It says this is to flush out the rebels and protect civilians from the fighting.

Ambassador Nyeturuye says security has improved dramatically since the camps were established, and the humanitarian situation in the camps had improved as well.

But Two senior UN officials dispute the ambassador's assessment, saying aid agencies have been denied access to many of the sites.

Amnesty International accuses the army of killing 43 civilians earlier this month in one camp near the capital Bujumbura.

At least 200,000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in Burundi since the outbreak of war in 1993, and hundreds of thousands have fled the country.