UN chief welcomes Sudan acceptance of Darfur force

June 12, 2007 (UNITED NATIONS) — U.N. Chief, Ban Ki Moon has welcomed the agreement of the Sudanese government to accept a proposal for a joint African Union and U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur, UN SG spokesperson said Tuesday.

“The Secretary-General welcomes today’s positive conclusions of the high-level African Union-United Nations consultations with the government of Sudan on the hybrid operation, and looks forward to expeditiously implementing the three-phase approach to peacekeeping in Darfur,” spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters at a daily U.N. briefing.

Ban also “stresses the need for an immediate comprehensive cease-fire accompanied by an inclusive political process as essential steps toward a lasting solution to the crisis in Darfur.”

“In view of the explanations and clarifications provided by the AU and the UN as contained in the presentation, the government of Sudan accepted the joint proposals on the hybrid operation,” a text of conclusions reached at the Addis Ababa meeting said.

AU, U.N. and Sudanese officials held a two-day meeting to discuss a force whose deployment would mark the final phase of a three-stage U.N. plan to bolster a poorly equipped and underfunded force of 7,000 AU peacekeepers, which has been unable to end four years of death and destruction in Darfur, the report said.

The conflict has left over 200,000 killed and more than 2 million displaced from their homes.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir agreed to the package in November, but stalled acceptance of the first two phases and has since backtracked on his approval.

Montas said issues regarding land, water and deployment still needed to be further addressed with the Sudanese government. In addition, the United Nations was still awaiting a full report on the talks from Addis Ababa, she noted when asked about further details.

The U.N. Security Council is set to receive a briefing of the outcome of the talks Wednesday.

(Kyodo)