Chirac urges Sudan to accept peacekeepers in Darfur

Sept 18, 2006 (PARIS) — French President Jacques Chirac Monday urged Sudan to accept the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in its war-torn region of Darfur.

Chirac told Europe-1 radio that he would make a “solemn appeal” to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during the U.N. General Assembly meeting, which opens Tuesday.

A new catastrophe in Darfur “could destabilize all the countries in the region,” he said.

Sudan’s government has rejected a U.N. plan to send peacekeeping troops to Darfur to replace the largely ineffective African Union peacekeeping force, whose mandate expires at the end of this month.

At least 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and more than 2 million have fled their homes since 2003, when ethnic African tribes revolted against the Arab-led government. The government is accused of unleashing brutal Arab militiamen known as janjaweed in the remote western province.

(AP/ST)