French FM to meet with UN special envoy for Darfur

June 5, 2007 (PARIS) — French foreign and European affairs minister Bernard Kouchner will Tuesday meet with Rodolphe Adada, former Republic of Congo’s foreign minister, who was recently appointed, by UN secretary general and the chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, to head the joint UN-AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

Kouchner will use this occasion to underscore “France’s commitment to obtain an urgent agreement from Sudan for the deployment of this force, which will take over the peacekeeping operations being conducted by Africa forces under the auspices of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS),” foreign ministry spokesman Jean- Baptiste Mattei said Monday.

Discussions between the two leaders will center on the deployment of 3,000 UN police officers in accordance with the UN heavy package for reinforcing support to the African force and the ongoing efforts to revive political dialogue between the Sudanese government and rebels, according to the spokesman.

In addition, the two leaders will also discuss the various options which are being explored by France, together with countries from the region, its European partners as well as the G8 and the UN Security Council member countries, with a view to boosting international efforts for Darfur and the region, “notably in order to improve the security and humanitarian situation of the people of Darfur.

These discussions are coming at a time when UN and AU are finalizing the details of the operation which will constitute the third phase of the plan for the enhancement of the international presence in Darfur.

(Xinhua)