By Africa correspondent Jane Standley in Kinshasa

Church leaders from across the Democratic Republic of Congo are gathering in the capital, Kinshasa, to discuss what role they can play in ending the 18-month-long war in the country.

Clergymen have travelled from rebel-controlled regions to Kinshasa and, with their colleagues from government-run areas, will also discuss the proposed national debates, which are intended to be part of a United Nations-sponsored peace plan.

On Thursday the UN approved the deployment of a peacekeeping force to DR Congo.

The Churches are strong social and political forces in Congo - in some areas, they provide the only health and education services available after decades of government neglect.

Many Church leaders would like to give their poverty-stricken congregations some voice in the proposed national debates on the war and the future of the country - and they have the strength to do it.

Confusion

But it will be difficult, given the tremendous confusion in Congo's political life, which has only been made worse by the continuing war.

For now, it is unclear whether there will be one or two national debates.

One such debate has been proposed by the Congolese President, Laurent Kabila, partly in response to Western pressure to democratise.

Opposition boycott

Opposition parties, who are refusing to take part while they remain banned by presidential decree, say that he intends to use the process as a tactic to delay any such democratisation.

The second proposed national debate is part of a ceasefire agreement signed by all the warring sides and is to be run by the former Botswanan President, Sir Ketumile Masire.

This is to be attached to a United Nations-sponsored peace plan and the deployment of a UN force.

Some observers are doubtful about what either process can actually achieve.

Buying time?

Western diplomats believe President Kabila may be using the difficulties of getting participants together in this country - which has many frontlines and almost no passable roads - to buy time.

They point out that the process seems to matter most to the people who have least sway over Congo's leaders - the poor, opposition politicians and the international community.

The government is very suspicious of Western motives towards it and its rich natural resources, and it will be a struggle both to get the debates going and to use them to help bring peace to Congo.