Libyan leader discusses Darfur with Egyptian president

January 1, 2008 ( CAIRO) — Libyan leader Muammer Gadhafi met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Sudan’s war-torn western region of Darfur, the official MENA news agency reported.

“The two leaders discussed the situation in Darfur, in particular after the deployment of a joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission,” MENA said.

Gadhafi’s visit to Cairo comes a day after the new AU-UN force took over peacekeeping in Darfur from an AU mission that has failed to stem nearly five years of violence.

Earlier this month, Gadhafi criticized the “internationalization” of the conflict in Darfur, which he said would sort itself out if the region’s people were left alone.

At least 200,000 people have been killed as a result of the conflict, according to UN figures. Khartoum disputes the toll saying only 9,000 have died.

(AFP)