Major activities of Chinese envoy to Darfur since his appointment last May

Major activities of Chinese envoy to Darfur since his appointment last May

www.chinaview.cn 2008-02-27 10:00:30 Print

NYALA, Sudan, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) — The Chinese government’s special representative for Darfur Liu Guijin Tuesday made a one-day visit to Sudan’s arid western Darfur region to get a first-hand glimpse of the situation there.

Liu flew into South Darfur’s capital city of Nyala from the Sudanese capital Khartoum earlier Tuesday on his second visit to Darfur since his appointment last May.

Liu, who arrived in Khartoum Sunday after visiting Britain, is currently on a four-day visit to Sudan, his fourth visit to Africa’s largest nation since last May.

Liu, a 62-year-old veteran diplomat and former Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe and South Africa, and who has been engaged in African affairs for more than 25 years, was nominated to his current post on May 10, 2007.

Following are some major activities carried out by Liu since his appointment:

— May 19-23, 2007, Liu made his first visit to Sudan, during which he made a fact-finding tour to North Darfur and South Darfur states.

— June 13-24, 2007, Liu paid a seven-day visit to South Africa,Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. He also visited the Arab League’s headquarters in Cairo and the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa.

— Sept. 3-9, 2007, Liu visited Washington and held meetings with U.S. government officials and congressmen concerning the Darfur issue.

— Sept. 10-12, 2007, Liu visited the United Nations headquarters in New York and held discussions with UN officials. Also in New York, he met Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, who Liu said was already no longer an artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics since he had not signed the contract before its deadline.