(BRUSSELS) - The European Union called Wednesday for the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be strengthened to resolve the crisis in the violence-battered east of the country.

"Let's be clear and lucid, this crisis cannot be resolved without boosting the means for peace stabilisation, particularly those of the United Nations," said French European Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has asked for the MONUC mission to be strengthened and this is being discussed at the UN Security Council, said Jouyet, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.

"We want them to reach a result very quickly," he told members of the European Parliament.

Fears are mounting over the fate of more than 250,000 people who have been displaced since fighting erupted between rebels led by Laurent Nkunda and the military in Nord-Kivu province in late August.

On Monday, France submited a draft resolution at the UN Security Council to add 3,000 soldiers and police to the 17,000-strong MONUC in order to protect the vulnerable population.

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner also said that it was important for the bloc to throw its weight being MONUC as its future was being discussed.

"The mandate (of MONUC) should be extended, for example, in terms of its control over the pillaging of natural resources," she said.

The United Nations has some 17,000 peacekeepers in DRC, including around 5,000 in Nord-Kivu province, but they have come under criticism for failing to do enough to stop the violence.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.