Egyptian FM holds contacts with AU, UN over Darfur
Sept 9, 2006 (CAIRO) — Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit held contacts with members of the UN Security Council, the African Peace and Security Council, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Chairman of the Commission of the African Union Alpha Omar Konare on the latest developments in Darfur.
Aboul Gheit asserted the importance of maintaining a constructive dialogue between the Sudanese government and the UN on means of surmounting the ongoing dispute on the international intervention in the Darfur crisis and the best way to enforce the UN Security Council resolution in order to restore stability in the region.
He called for holding a constructive dialogue that would yield an agreement between the UN and the Sudanese government, the Egyptian MENA reported.
He voiced hope that the international and regional parties would perceive the importance of extending the mandate of the African Union mission in Darfur till the end of the year in order to avoid a security vacuum that may lead to more deterioration of conditions.
The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Aug. 31, in which it called for the deployment of up to 22,500 troops and police officers and an immediate injection of air, engineering and communication support for the 7,000-member African force in Darfur.
The Sudanese government, however, has repeatedly said that it opposed the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur to replace the AU troops. It also planned to send 10,500 more government forces to Darfur.
(ST)