UNITED NATIONS, December 22, SPA -- The Security Council voted unanimously to extend the U.N. peacekeeping mission inCongo for a year and demanded that all militias and armedgroups in the volatile east lay down their weapons andstart disarming. The council on Friday asked the U.N. force «to attach thehighest priority to addressing the crisis» in North andSouth Kivu, the eastern Congo provinces that have seen theheaviest fighting recently, emphasizing the need to protectcivilians. It urged the Congolese government to address the crisis«in a comprehensive way,» including convening a meetingon peace, security and development in the Kivus. The resolution adopted by the council extends the mandateof the force until Dec. 31, 2008.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/511417