The UN Security Council is close to agreement on sending peacekeeping troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a senior US diplomat.

US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke said he hoped for a vote on the issue on Thursday.

His comments came after the council heard briefings from experts on Congo.

The United States, which is sponsoring the vote, wanted a decision on the matter to coincide with a meeting in Zambia on Wednesday among the countries involved in the conflict.

Eight African heads and the leaders of two of the rebel factions met in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, where they signed a peace accord six months ago.

The Lusaka meeting tackled some of the issues of concern to the UN should a peacekeeping force be deployed in the DRC.

A joint statement by the delegates at the end of the meeting said they were ready to give assurances on the security of UN personnel.

They also indicated that they would be willing to agree on a joint command structure shared between the United Nations and a military council made up of all the warring parties.

'No trust'

Sources at the talks said that although some progress had been made in Lusaka, questions remained over the intentions of all the sides.

One observer said there was no trust among the parties.

Repeated violations of July's ceasefire have brought the peace accord close to collapse.

Presidents Frederick Chiluba of Zambia, Laurent Kabila of DR Congo, Pasteur Bizimungu of Rwanda, Sam Nujoma of Namibia, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda attended the talks, together with senior officials from the UN and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

But no explanation was given for the absence of South Africa, the region's powerhouse, from the talks.

South Africa is expected to provide the backbone of the future peacekeeping force.

The conflict has drawn in Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia on the Congolese government side, while Rwanda and Uganda back splintered rebel factions.