EU warns Sudan at crossroads
Mar 8, 2006 (BRUSSELS) — The European Union hosted talks on Wednesday with African, US and UN leaders on how to ease Sudan’s unrelenting Darfur conflict, warning that the unrest-torn country stood at a “crossroad”.
The discussions were notably to focus on plans to the transfer to United Nations control of an African Union-run peacekeeping mission in the western region, torn by ethnic conflict since 2003.
“We are going … to get very serious on Sudan,” EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on the eve of the talks.
As well as the continuing violence in Darfur, they will also discuss problems with Sudan’s North-South peace agreement, in particular discord over oil revenues, as well as relations between Sudan and Chad.
“Peace in the whole of Sudan is vital, not only for this big country — the biggest in Africa — but also for the entire African continent and the Arab world,” said Solana.
The conflict in Darfur between rebels and militias backed by Sudanese government troops has killed some 300,000 people and displaced two million others since 2003.
The African Union sent troops there in 2004 — a force which now numbers around 7,000 personnel — but the mission has suffered from poor funding and has struggled to contain the violence.
The African body’s Peace and Security Council is due to meet in Addis Ababa on Friday to discuss proposals to transfer responsibility for the Darfur force to the United Nations.
The UN has called on Europe to consider stepping in should any new force be sent to Darfur to help African troops stationed there.
But Solana, noting that the 25-nation EU currently funds about 60 percent of the African Union peacekeeping mission, played down expectations that Europe could put boots on the ground.
“It is very logical that the bulk of the force will also be African. That’s what the Africans want,” he said, speaking in the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Innsbruck, Austria.
“That doesn’t mean that we will not use, for instance, strategic lift, transport of forces, help with logistics, help with some elements of communication — whatever is not really putting forces on the ground.”
European Humanitarian Aid and Development Commissioner Louis Michel echoed Solana’s call, voicing concern about the slow progress of Darfur peace talks being held in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
“The Sudanese and the international community are at a crossroad. The continuing conflict in Darfur threatens the stability of Sudan and of the whole region,” he said.
“The sufferings of the civilian population are immense. We must act and we must act now.”
Wednesday’s talks gathered EU officials with the AU Commission head Alpha Oumar Konare, US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, UN Assistant Secretary General Hedi Annabi and Sudan’s Deputy President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha.
On Thursday the World Bank will host talks in Paris to discuss the financial needs caused by the conflicts in Sudan.
(ST/AFP)