Brussels - European Union foreign ministers were meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss a request by the United Nations for the bloc to send peacekeeping troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

France, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, has ruled out the deployment of European forces. But pressure has grown on ministers to act following an appeal from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who says Europe should help reinforce UN peacekeepers in the former Belgian colony until more UN troops can deploy.

"It is urgent that we take a decision on such a bridging force (to Congo), which to my mind is absolutely necessary," said Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht.

Some 250,000 civilians have been displaced in the east of the DR Congo since the summer as a result of renewed clashes between government forces and Tutsi rebels.

De Gucht said an EU mission would need up to 3,000 heavily-armed soldiers, who would fill in immediate shortages.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said the EU should consider deploying its battlegroups.

The EU currently has two such battlegroups, consisting of about 1,500 soldiers each, on standby. These battlegroups are meant to be deployed at short notice anywhere in the world, but have never been used to date.

"If we don't send them to Congo, where do we send them?" Stubb asked.

However, EU heavyweight Germany is among those pushing for a diplomatic solution to the Congo crisis.

Ministers were greeted by a few dozen protesters, who called on them to act in Congo, but diplomats did not expect any major decision to be taken on the issue.

Monday's gathering was largely meant to prepare the groundwork for this week's EU summit of heads of state and government.

It was also set to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe and relations with Pakistan.

Ministers were also expected to take a look at the EU's Eulex legal mission in Kosovo and its naval mission off the coast of Somalia. Both missions formally begin this week. (dpa)