Russia, Sudan ministers discuss UN Security Council resolution

MOSCOW, Mar 10, 2005 (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Thursday spoke with his Sudanese counterpart, Mustafa Oman Ismail, about a new U.N. resolution aimed at supporting a peace accord ending a 21-year civil war in the southern part of the African country, the Foreign Ministry said.

“They focused on drafting a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Sudan ,” and also discussed ways to promote peace in Sudan ‘s western Darfur region, where tens of thousands have been killed and more than a million displaced by fighting in a separate conflict, the ministry said in a statement. The two officials spoke by telephone.

The two foreign ministers agreed on the need to dispatch a U.N. peacekeeping force to southern Sudan , the ministry said.

A U.S. draft resolution would authorize a 10,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force to monitor a January peace accord ending the war between the government and southern rebels. It would also try to reinforce efforts by an African Union to foster peace in Darfur.

The U.S. proposal calls for a travel ban and asset freeze on those who impede the peace process, threaten stability in Darfur and violate international humanitarian or human rights law.