**The UN has said it is has begun discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo government on withdrawing peacekeeping troops.**The UN’s mission in the country, Monuc, has the largest number of peacekeepers of any UN operation worldwide.
Its current mandate is due to expire at the end of May and the new one will include an exit strategy.
The announcement was made by UN Under Secretary-General Alain le Roy after a meeting with President Joseph Kabila.
The BBC’s correspondent Thomas Fessy, in Kinshasa, says no details have been given yet on the timeline but the Congolese authorities have asked for the withdrawal to be carried out in one year.
Mr Le Roy said that a UN team had been given one month to assess how the peacekeeping mission in Congo could start withdrawing its troops from the country ahead of a UN Security Council discussion of Monuc’s next mandate, due in June.
The head of all UN peacekeeping missions made the announcement after he met the Congolese President Joseph Kabila.
According to government spokesman Lambert Mende there should be no UN troops in Congo other than in the troubled eastern region of Kivu by the end of this year.
“Withdrawal must be completed by mid-2011,” he said, stressing that this exit strategy will be discussed but not negotiated.
Despite ongoing military operations in different parts of the country, the Congolese authorities want the timeline of the withdrawal to be clearly announced before 30 June, when the country celebrates 50 years of independence.
With presidential elections due to be held in late 2011, it is clear that Mr Kabila does not want to deal with the UN peacekeeping mission.