US asks Tunisia to take part in UN Darfur peace mission

May 19, 2006 (TUNIS) — The top U.S. negotiator on Sudan’s troubled region of Darfur said Friday he has asked Tunisia to take part in the U.N. peacekeeping force in the area.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick made the request during talks with President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Tunisian Foreign Minister Abdelwahab Abdallah.

Zoellick, speaking to reporters during his brief visit, said the response was “encouraging.” He praised past Tunisian participation in peacekeeping efforts in Congo, Cambodia, Somalia and Rwanda.

Zoellick’s trip comes amid international efforts to make a May 5 peace accord between the Sudanese government and the largest rebel group in Darfur stick. Zoellick has been seeking to boost peacekeeping capabilities during the transition from an African Union force to a U.N. mission, which could take several months.

He urged more progress on democratic reform in Tunisia, where dissent is stifled and human rights groups complain of routine abuses.

“A people with such a high level of education and a large middle class needs freedom of expression, organization and other freedoms,” he said.

During his visit, Zoellick signed a trade accord with Tunisia.

(ST/AP)