Frence, EU discuss EU force for Chad – report

July 12, 2007 (PARIS) — The European Union’s foreign policy chief and France’s president discussed the possibility of sending an interim E.U. force to protect Darfur refugees in Chad, a news report said Thursday.

Javier Solana of the E.U. told French Roman Catholic newspaper La Croix the idea came up Wednesday during a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Tens of thousands of people have fled the conflict-ridden Darfur region of Sudan into neighboring Chad.

“We talked about the possibility of rapidly deploying – in cooperation with the president of Chad – an interim E.U. force that would protect refugee camps in Chad, while awaiting the deployment of a U.N. police force,” Solana was quoted as saying.

The four-year conflict between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia in Sudan’s vast western region has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced 2.5 million. A 7,000-member African Union force has been unable to stop the fighting.

The Sudanese government resisted for months a push for the U.N. to replace the overwhelmed AU force, but finally agreed in June to a compromise deal for the U.N. to deploy jointly with the African Union.

The U.K. and Ghana circulated a draft resolution Wednesday at the U.N. that would authorize the 26,000-strong peacekeeping force for Darfur.

The draft also states the council’s readiness to consider deploying a U.N. mission to eastern Chad and the northeastern Central African Republic, areas which have been roiled by attacks by rebels, as well as the spillover of the Darfur conflict.

(AP)