The Security Council voted today to extend the UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo for only 30 days to give the United States time to decide whether to strengthen the force in the violent eastern part of the country.
The United States, which is billed for more than 25 per cent of the costs, has been reluctant to raise the ceiling of peacekeepers from the current 8,700 to 10,800, saying that foreign intervention would not necessarily solve the crisis in the vast Central African nation.
The council's vote on the stopgap measure was necessary before the mandate of the force expires on June 30th.
In the interim, negotiations continue on Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan's call to beef up the UN troops and give them a more robust mandate before French soldiers leave northeastern Congo in September.
Washington has also not yet responded to urging by council members, especially Britain, that it send troops to the West African nation of Liberia, scene of some of the worst violence in the region.
On May 30th, the Security Council authorized the deployment of a French-led force of 1,400 to Bunia to help stem tribal violence and massacres in Congo's northeastern Ituri region.