DAR ES SALAAM, Ramadan 24, 1434, Aug 2, 2013, SPA -- Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said on Friday relations with Rwanda had soured because of his efforts to bring peace to neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters reported. In his monthly address to the nation, Kikwete said Tanzania nevertheless wanted to continue its historically positive relations with Rwanda while working to bring peace to Congo. Tanzania leads a newly deployed U.N. intervention brigade in Congo's eastern region where M23 rebels, a group of mostly Tutsi fighters widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, have been fighting the Congolese army and other rebel groups. Rwanda denies backing the insurgency and has alleged that commanders of the special U.N. force with a mandate to neutralise armed groups such as M23 have met Rwandan Hutu FDLR rebels camped in eastern Congo's borderlands. On May 26 Kikwete said all the countries involved in the Congo peace talks, including Rwanda, should talk to all the rebel groups, a comment that drew fierce criticism from Kigali where negotiating with FDLR rebels is seen as unacceptable. -- SPA 21:11 LOCAL TIME 18:11 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1134372