UN to meet over request for more Congo peacekeepers in late November

UN to meet over request for more Congo peacekeepers in late November New York - The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet over the possibility of having a larger peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo at the end of November despite the current tense situation in the country.

The council president-designate Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica said on Tuesday in New York that there was as yet no agreement on the issue within the highest UN body. The meeting had therefore been scheduled tentatively for around November 26. Urbina acknowledged that this was "not the best message" for people in the Congo.

UN envoy Alan Doss has formally requested that the Security Council to increase the current 17,000-strong force. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday supported the move. The current force was being overwhelmed by the task in the vast area, Ban said.

Around 5,000 UN peacekeepers are stationed in the volatile North Kivu province and 700 in Goma, the scene of clashes between government troops and rebel forces. UN peacekeeping mission official Alain le Roy, on a visit to eastern Congo at present, is do to brief the Security Council on the situation before it convenes on November 26. (dpa)

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