Sudan president, AU chairman discuss funding of African force
Sept 16, 2006 (HAVANA) — Sudanese president met with chairman of the African Union to discuss means to finance the AU peacekeeping force in troubled Sudan’s Darfur region, the state-rune SUNA reported Saturday.
President Omar al-Bashir, met Friday 15 September with the African Union chairman Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, at the sidelines of the 14th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, currently in session in Havana, Cuba.
The Sudanese president disclosed that Arab countries started to send their financial contributions pledged during the Arab League Summit in Khartoum. Arab leaders on Tuesday 28 March reached a summit deal to provide funding for cash-strapped African Union troops in Sudan’s Darfur region for six months.
The meeting focused on Sudan’s stance in rejecting the resolution of the Security Council 1706 as well as means of funding the African Union Forces in Darfur in order to continue their mission.
In this regard, Al-Bashir explained that Sudan did not expel the African forces and categorically rejects the transformation of their mandate to international forces.
As for the Sudanese-Chadian relations, Al-Bashir referred to the agreement signed between the two countries to normalize the relations and the joint action plan in order to secure the borders, saying the ambassadors of the two countries returned to Khartoum and N’djamena.
Meanwhile, the Congolese President revealed that the Council for Peace and Security in Africa will meet in New York next Monday 18 September at the sidelines of the UN’s General Assembly to discuss means of funding and supporting the African Union forces in Darfur as well as other options for solving the crisis.
(ST)