A separate probe by the British Parliament has come to the same conclusion as the first United Nations investigators that Uganda plundered the resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and has recommended an arms embargo.

The House of Commons MPs on the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), on the Great Lakes and Genocide Prevention note in a report issued last month and became available in Uganda yesterday that the findings of the UN Congo probe are "credible".

The MPs, together with Oxfam, Christian Aid, Save the Children, Tearfund, and International Alert, visited the Congo from Aug. 2 to Aug. 6 to verify reports of plunder and of the humanitarian catastrophe.

In their report, the MPs claim that "large sums of money from the DRC mineral trade flow through Rwanda and Uganda".

"Approximates for the trade in minerals leaving the Kivus (north and south) are around $100m (Shs 174.5bn) annually. Last year, Uganda made nearly as much money from gold exports as from coffee, despite having hardly any reserves at home," the report reads in part.

It adds that Rwanda produced 83 tons of coltan, but exported 603 tons, a discrepancy of 520 tons.

"Almost certainly, the balance comes from mining in the DRC. Whilst foreign exchange data merely shows where produce was sold, and not by whom (Rwandan/Ugandan Governments, or private companies and individuals) the implication is clear," it said.

"Whilst we agree that the [UN] report was unbalanced and flawed in some areas, during the course of our visit we heard numerous eyewitness reports, which confirmed that the broad findings were credible," the report said.

The UN report published in April 2001, was heavily critical of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Congo rebels, accusing them of systematically looting gold, diamonds, coffee, wood, coltan and other resources in areas under their control.

Uganda slammed the report as unbalanced and malicious, and Ugandan Dictator Yoweri Museveni described it as "rubbish", criticisms that forced the UN Security Council to extend the research.

But the British MPs urge "the UK government to respond publicly to the findings of the UN's report of the External Panel on the Illegal exploitation of natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo".

"Recent campaigns show that consumers and business alike will boycott goods originating from war-zones," the report says.

It accuses warring troops of stationing themselves in positions close to "mineral mines".

Uganda has withdrawn 12 out of 14 battalions, but the two remaining are located in Bunia (with gold and coffee) and Beni (timber and palm oil), according to the report.

"We received reports that Uganda is responsible for exploiting timber in 800 sq km of rainforest," it added

"The war in DRC is currently motivated by both security and economic concerns. Throughout the visit people expressed strongly held views that security issues were a pretext for mineral exploitation."

It notes that a European Union arms embargo on Congo exists, but no similar embargo on neighbouring countries supplying arms or participating in the conflict.

"If the peace process is to have a realistic chance of success, the arms flows that continue to pour into the region through legal and illegal channels must end," it notes.

"We urge the UK government to ensure, with its European partners, that the EU embargo on arms imports into the region by all parties in the DRC conflict is made legally binding; and that a similar embargo is imposed by the UN."

However,Ugandan Dictator's advisor on Defence, Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza dismissed the UK report as 'confusion'.

"How can they say that we have deployed close to minerals and not the opponents? Don't they know that there is a cease-fire?"