Kabila arrives in Zimbabwe

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has been holding talks with President Robert Mugabe, at the start of his first state visit to Zimbabwe.

Security was tight for Mr Kabila's arrival, and only journalists from the state-run Zimbabwean media were allowed to enter Harare airport to see his arrival.

Zimbabwe is the main backer of the government forces in the Congo civil war and the BBC East Africa Correspondent says the meeting is important to both leaders.

Mr Kabila will be looking to shore up the power base he inherited when his father was assassinated last year, while Mr Mugabe is worried about protecting Zimbabwe's sizeable commercial interests in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All foreign forces in Congo are supposed to be disengaging from the fighting under a United Nations-sponsored peace agreement.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service