"We welcome the French offer and this will come in handy if we can't find an African force," Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi told reporters in the capital Kampala on Saturday.

"An African force would have an advantage on communication purposes because what is happening in Ituri requires people who can communicate and identify with the rival militia groups, talk to them and convince them to stop the unacceptable fighting," Mbabazi said.

Mbabazi was reacting to a report by France's ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, in which he told the UN Security Council that his country would take part in an emergency military operation in DRC only if neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda asked for the force and assisted in its deployment.

"The force must be requested by the authorities of the DRCongo and other countries in the region, notably Rwanda and Uganda, which must also commit themselves to assisting its deployment," the French ambassador told the Council.

Mbabazi promised to cooperate in the deployment of the force, but added that "no formal request has yet been forwarded to Kampala."

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