Chinese, Sudanese presidents to discuss Darfur crisis

Nov 2, 2006 (BEIJING) — Chinese President Hu Jintao will discuss the conflict in Darfur when he meets with his Sudanese counterpart ahead of a conference in Beijing with African nations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Sudan’s western province of Darfur has suffered from a three-year-old war that has left 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced, and the government of Sudanese President Omar al Bashir has been accused of unleashing brutal militiamen known as Janjaweed to quell a tribal rebellion against the government.

“On the issue of Darfur, China has followed the developments there. We have had effective communication with the Sudanese government,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular press briefing.

Hu will meet Bashir in Beijing later on Thursday and they will discuss issues of “common concern, including Darfur,” Liu said.

Liu also said China believed the United Nations should play a role in helping to ease fighting in the region, but added the international community should be mindful of the Sudanese government’s concerns.

“The United Nations should and can play an active role in the settlement of this issue, but in the meantime we believe that on the specific measures, the international community needs to respect and get the consent of the Sudanese government,” Liu said.

The U.N. has authorized 20,000 troops to replace an under-equipped force of 7,000 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur, but the Sudanese government has rejected the U.N. force and last month expelled the U.N.’s Sudan envoy.

Sudan is a growing supplier of oil to China.

Critics have said China’s arms exports to Darfur have helped fuel the conflict. Beijing has defended its expanding relations with Sudan as “mutually beneficial,” and that its dealing with the African nation have helped to improve that country’s human rights records.

Beijing is welcoming leaders from 48 African nations for a landmark summit meant to highlight China’s growing role in Africa.

(AP)