European Union welcomes forthcoming Darfur talks in Libya
September 7, 2007 (BRUSSELS) — The European Union (EU) on Friday welcomed the announcement by the United Nations and Sudan on the convocation of peace talks on Darfur, western Sudan, which are to be held in Libya on Oct. 27.
“Convening peace negotiations on Darfur is a very welcome step in the right direction,” the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, said in a statement.
“Together with the on-going transition to the African Union-United Nations hybrid operation in Darfur, and the discussion of a potential European/ESDP (European Security and Defense Policy) operation in Chad and the Central African Republic in line with the UN secretary-general’s report of Aug. 10, the concrete perspective for peace negotiations on Darfur increases the current momentum toward a sustainable solution to put an end to the suffering of the people of Darfur,” he added.
The EU foreign policy chief urged all the concerned parties to the Libya talks to participate constructively with a view to obtaining a truly inclusive and sustainable political settlement of the Darfur conflict.
He pledged that the EU was ready to contribute to the Darfur peace process.
In a joint communique Thursday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said the Darfur peace talks were set to begin on Oct. 27 in Libya.
“The government of Sudan pledges to contribute positively to securing the environment for the negotiations, fulfilling its commitment to a full cessation of hostilities in Darfur and an agreed upon ceasefire,” said the communique issued after a meeting between Ban and al-Bashir in Khartoum.
The Darfur peace process has been deadlocked since the Sudanese government and a main rebel faction signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in the Nigerian capital Abuja in May 2006.
(Xinhua)