KAMPALA, April 21 (Xinhuanet) -- African leaders from the Great Lakes region are to hold an emergency summit in Uganda to discuss extending the mandate of Burundi's transitional government set to expire on April 22.

    An official at Uganda's Foreign Ministry, told Xinhua by telephone that the meeting will be held on April 22 in Entebbe, some 40 km south of Kampala.

    He said that the summit will be hosted by President Yoweri Museveni who chairs the regional peace initiative for the central African country.

    Heads of state from Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi, Zambia, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other dignitaries are expected to attend the summit.

    According to Uganda's Foreign Ministry, the meeting will decideon the procedure to follow now that it is clear that the elections will not be held on the set date.

    Burundi's transitional government is set to expire on April 22,a date which was set by the Great Lakes leaders in November 2004 when they extended the Burundi's transitional period by six months in accordance with the proposed election schedule laid out by Burundi's officials.

    However there has been increasing concern from both regional and international officials over the delay of the election timetable as the country's Senate and National Assembly are moving slowly to enact the enabling laws.

    Burundi is emerging from an 11-year civil war which has pitted rebels of the Hutu majority against the Tutsi-dominated army. About 250,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed during the conflict in the country of about seven million. Enditem