French president determined to resolve Darfur crisis – AU chief
June 4, 2007 (PARIS) — African Union leader John Kufuor praised French President Nicolas Sarkozy as having the will to help find a solution to the Darfur crisis, after meeting the France’s newly elected leader on Monday in Paris.
Sarkozy has said he wants aid to Africa and the Darfur crisis to be among the top priorities of the G-8 summit meeting starting Wednesday in Germany.
“I got the feeling that this president will definitely try to help find a solution in Darfur,” said Kufuor, president of Ghana, after his 30-minute meeting with Sarkozy.
“The impression I got is that this president will help to bring relief to the suffering people of Darfur,” Kufuor said. “He’s concerned that at least humanitarian support is given.”
The AU currently has a 7,000-strong force on the ground in Darfur, but it has been unable to stop fighting between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia in Sudan’s vast western Darfur region. The four-year conflict has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million Darfurians.
Kufuor said the “goodwill and the understanding” he established with Sarkozy during their half-hour of talks “may help move the solution forward.”
He did not provide specifics.
(AP)