Massacre inquiry delayed

KINSHASA - A UN negotiating team and Mr Laurent Kabila's Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to differ yesterday on the terms…

KINSHASA - A UN negotiating team and Mr Laurent Kabila's Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to differ yesterday on the terms of reference for a major massacre inquiry, delaying its planned Monday start until further notice.

The inquiry follows allegations that Mr Kabila's Tutsi-backed rebels or their Rwandan or Ugandan allies killed Rwandan Hutu refugees as their forces marched across former Zaire in May.

The UN is anxious for its forensic experts to excavate mass graves in the east of former Zaire before the evidence disappears. Mr Kabila's government denies the allegations.