A damning report has been published on the failure of the United Nations to prevent the genocide in Rwanda more than five years ago.

An independent inquiry team - headed by former Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson - said the UN had ignored evidence that a genocide was planned and had refused to act once it had started.

The inquiry concludes that the UN should apologise to the Rwandan people.

In response, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed bitter regret and promised action to prevent another such disaster.

The report highlights the role of Mr Annan, who was head of UN peacekeeping at the time, sharply criticising his failure to act on a warning of the risk of genocide sent by the head of the UN peacekeepers in Rwanda.

It also criticises Belgium for unilaterally withdrawing its peacekeepers after the murder of ten of its soldiers.

The decision of peacekeepers to retreat from a school, leaving civilians inside to be butchered, is described as "disgraceful".

The inquiry makes a number of policy recommendations designed to ensure similar failings do not happen again.

A Rwandan minister reacted to the report by saying Mr Annan should come to Kigali and apologise "in person".

"We expect the secretary-general to come here to personally offer his apologies and those of the UN. We hope he will take the trouble because he was in charge at the time," said Patrick Mazimhaka, minister in the president's office.

Holocaust comparison

Mr Annan asked the inquiry team to examine the issue after persistent criticism of the UN's failure to act on warnings.

The three-man inquiry team was appointed in April and conducted interviews with key players and had access to the UN's files.

Handing his report to Mr Annan, Mr Carlsson compared the events in Rwanda with the Nazi holocaust against the Jews in World War II.

The inquiry chairman said he hoped his report would help heal the wrongs and avert any future genocide.