Egypt welcomes AU decision over UN takeover in Darfur
Mar 12, 2006 (CAIRO) — Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed
Abul Gheit on Sunday welcomed the decision by the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council to turn over peacekeeping in Sudan’s volatile western Darfur region to the United Nations.
Abul Gheit also praised the council’s decision to ensure a role for the pan-African body to play in solving the conflicts in Darfur even after the United Nations takes over the peacekeeping mission, according to the official MENA news agency.
“The foreign minister praised (the council for) reaffirming the African Union’s role in supervising the peace process in Darfurand that African troops should be the backbone of the new peacekeeping mission,” Abul Gheit was quoted as saying by a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
The Egyptian top diplomat hoped that all parties involved in the Darfur dispute would thrash out a peace agreement as soon as possible and urged the international community to offer necessary help, the spokesman added.
During a meeting on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the AUPeace and Security Council also decided to extend the mandate of African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) until Sept. 30, 2006.
The AU currently maintains some 7,800-strong forces in Darfur to observe a shaky cease-fire agreement reached between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels in April, 2004.
The AU Darfur force has been constrained by poor funding and has been unable to contain the volatile situation in Darfur.
Sudan has been opposed to the hand-over plan, saying that it would support the transition to the United Nations after a peace deal has been reached with all the Darfur rebel groups.
Clashes flared up in Darfur in February 2003 when local farmers took up arms against the Sudanese government, accusing it of neglecting the barren area. Thousands of people have been killed and more displaced in the violence.
Rounds of peace talks between the Sudanese government and Darfur rebels in Abuja have failed to yield fruits.
(Xinhua/ST)