President Ndayizeye must organise elections by end of October

The proposal suggests the national assembly and government be composed of 60% ethnic Hutu and 40% Tutsi.

The deal is due to be signed next week and will form the new constitution ahead of elections due in October.

But the Tutsi Uprona party has rejected this, it wants seats to be given to parties as well as ethnic groups.

Deadline

Uprona has dominated Burundi since independence and until the multi-party system was introduced in 1993, they were the only party.

Since then other Tutsi parties have formed and according to BBC Great Lakes journalist Ally Mugenzi, Uprona can no longer claim to represent all Tutsis, who account for about 15% of the population.

PROPOSED DEAL National Assembly: 60% Hutu, 40% Tutsis 3 Twa seats Government: 60% Hutu, 40% Tutsis Senate: 50% Hutu, 50% Tutsis 3 Twa seats Q&A: Burundi's peace

Under the proposed deal the minority Twa ethnic group will be allocated 3 seats in the Parliament and in the Senate.

Chief mediator Jacob Zuma, South Africa's deputy president is expected to travel to Burundi on 26 July to oversee the signing of the agreement.

By the end of October the new constitution has to be passed by parliament and go to a referendum.

A census to update the electoral roll also has to meet this deadline.

Some 300,000 people have been killed since the civil war broke out in 1993.

About 5,000 United Nations peacekeepers are in the country to support the South African brokered peace process.