Russia, UK officials discuss Darfur peacekeeping force

Nov 23, 2006 (MOSCOW) — Russia is interested in finding a peacekeeping formula to resolve the Darfur conflict that would suit both the international community and the government of Sudan.

Aleksandr Saltanov, Russian deputy foreign minister, reported this in Moscow yesterday at a meeting with Anthony Brenton, Great Britain’s ambassador to Russia, the RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

“The Russian side stressed the need to find a formula for peacekeeping which would suit both the international community and the government of Sudan and which would promote resolving the Darfur conflict through implementing in practice the Darfur peace agreement signed in May 2006 in Abuja,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information and press department has reported.

An exchange of views took place on the results of the international meeting on Darfur which took place in Addis Ababa and at which the plan proposed by the UN secretary-general for a stage-by-stage transformation of the mission of the African Union in operation in that Sudanese province in a combined operation involving the UN and the AU to maintain peace was considered.

Other regional issues were also touched on at the meeting, and in particular, the question of a Middle East settlement, the Syrian-Lebanese dossier and the situation in Iraq.

(ST)