French FM, chief of Darfur AU-UN mission discuss troops deployment
July 21, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The French foreign minister and the head of Darfur hybrid peacekeeping mission discussed peace process in western Sudan, particularly the deployment of 3000 UN personnel within the framework of the heavy support package, AMIS said in a press statement today.
French Minister for European and Foreign Affairs, Bernard Kouchner received in Paris yesterday 20 July, 2007. Rodolphe Adada, AMIS Head of Mission and AU-UN Special Joint Representative for Darfur.
The two parties tackled the deployment of 3,000 UN personnel scheduled in the UN heavy support package for the African peacekeeping force, “consistent with Adada’s recent declaration to the media in Khartoum that a strong and effective AMIS is essential for the success of the Hybrid Operation;” the statement said.
The meeting comes at a time when the United Nations Security Council is considering a resolution sponsored by Britain and France on the deployment of a joint U.N.-African Union force which will constitute the third phase of a plan to quell violence in Sudan’s western region.
Under sustained international pressure, Sudan agreed last month to the combined U.N.-AU peacekeeping force of more than 20,000 troops and police to bolster the cash-strapped AU force of 7,000 already operating in Darfur.
France has reiterated its support for UN efforts in Darfur and its acknowledgement of Sudan’s agreement to the complete deployment of the Hybrid Operation, which will take over from the African peace-keeping mission in Sudan already on the ground.
Adada’s discussions with Kouchner also touched on the current efforts to revive the political process between the government of Sudan and Darfur rebel Movements, ahead of the crucial pre-negotiations scheduled to take place in Arusha, Tanzania on August 3-5, 2007.
Adada’s European tour, which comes after his working visit to UN Headquarters in New York, will take him to Brussels, where he will meet with EU officials, and to Lisbon, where he will discuss the Darfur crisis with Portuguese officials, Portugal currently holds the presidency of the European Union.
(ST)