Saudi FM in Sudan for talks on Darfur
April 17, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal arrived in Khartoum Tuesday, a day after Sudan accepted the second phase of a UN plan to bolster the African Union force in the troubled Darfur region.
Saud is due to meet Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir later Tuesday, an official told AFP.
On Monday, Khartoum said it had accepted the second phase of the UN plan, which involves the dispatch of 3,000 UN personnel — mostly military and police staff– to provide logistical, communications and air support to 7,000 under-equipped AU troops that have failed to stem four years of bloody ethnic strife in Darfur.
When making the announcement, Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol praised Riyadh’s role in helping reach the agreement between Khartoum, the United Nations and the African Union.
Saudi’s King Abdullah had taken the initiative during an Arab summit in Riyadh in March, to bring together Beshir, UN chief Ban Ki-moon and Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the African Commission, to examine ways to achieve peace in Darfur.
At least 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and more than two million driven from their homes, according to the United Nations. Khartoum disputes those figures, but some sources say the death toll is much higher.
(AFP)