By Joe Bavier

KINSHASA, May 14 (Reuters) - A government review of mining contracts in Democratic Republic of Congo due to begin on Tuesday has been delayed until early June, Deputy Minister of Mines Victor Kasongo said on Monday.

Congo, which holds a tenth of the world's copper reserves and a third of its cobalt, suspended all negotiations on future mining deals on March 27, pending the completion of the review.

A shake-up of the sector had been widely expected since President Joseph Kabila took office in December after winning the mineral-rich central African state's first democratic elections in more than 40 years.

"It's been delayed by 15 days," Kasongo told Reuters on Monday. "It's just logistical matters that are responsible for the delay. We should still finish on time."

The deputy minister said the review's structure was already in place and the panel would be aided in its work by legal and financial consultants from the U.S.-based Carter Center and Switzerland's Companie Benjamin de Rothschild.

Congo's cabinet has yet to give the official go-ahead to the plan but that is expected to come at a meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Interest in Congo from international mining companies has soared since last year's successful elections, supervised by the largest U.N. peacekeeping force in the world.

The polls were aimed at ushering in a new era of growth and stability after a devastating 1998-2003 war and years of chaos and corrupt rule.

Most of Congo's mining contracts were agreed during the war or under a three-year transitional government, which included the various factions from the six-year conflict.

Many of the deals have been heavily criticised both at home and abroad for not conforming to international norms.

Soon after taking office, Mines Minister Martin Kabwelulu told Reuters that he was prepared to ensure mining deals were legal and served the interest of the Congolese people.

"It shouldn't make investors nervous," Kasongo said. "At the end of the day, we will present what needs to be done to the contracts, and there will be negotiations. We'll do our best to get it done as soon as possible."

Companies operating in Congo's fast-expanding mining sector include the world's largest diversified miner BHP Billiton and the world's third-biggest gold producer AngloGold Ashanti, as well as U.S. major Phelps Dodge, recently purchased by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

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