Bush to meet NATO chief March 20 to discuss Darfur

Mar 17, 2006 (WASHINGTON) — US President George W. Bush will hold talks March 20 with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on a possible overhaul of peacekeeping in Darfur and other issues, the White House said Friday.

The US president said last month that he expected a UN-led force, backed by Nato and probably double the current African Union (AU) deployment, to take over in Sudan’s violence-wracked region.

“I’m sure it’s an issue that will be discussed. Nothing’s changed in terms of what was previously said,” Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan told reporters.

The two leaders were also to discuss efforts “to strengthen and transform the alliance to meet current and future threats and to enhance the transatlantic partnership,” McClellan said in a subsequent statement.

They will also “review plans for the Nato Summit in Riga in November and discuss Nato’s many vital contributions to transatlantic and global security. They will also discuss the range of issues on Nato’s strategic agenda,” he said.

(ST/AFP)