Romania offers emergency humanitarian aid to Sudan
BUCHAREST, Romania, July 14, 2004 (Rompres) — The Romanian government decided to offer urgent humanitarian aid to Sudan, for the Darfur area, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana said on Tuesday [13 July], at the end of a meeting with Sudanese Ambassador to Romania Abdelaziz Marhoun Ahmed.
The situation in Darfur is the first big crisis the international community faces at the beginning of the 21st century, and the UN Security Council could take firm action through a resolution, if promises are not kept and agreements concluded.
The Romanian foreign minister said that, as Romania holds the Security Council’s Presidency, he wished to talk with the Sudanese ambassador in Bucharest about the situation in the province of Darfur, which is dangerous in humanitarian terms and extremely worrying.
“Before holding talks in the Security Council on the Sudanese file, we wished to know the opinion of the government in Khartoum, and try to be a well-balanced and energetic judge of this file. It is evident that the militias that (…) fought with the rebels have to be disarmed in the period ahead. (…) We were told that the government in Khartoum arrested people who violated the law, we were given details about the situation of the population and in the coming period we intend to hold comprehensive talks on this topic in the Security Council,” Mircea Geoana said.
The situation in Sudan is high on the international agenda of the month of July, and Romania wishes to be very active and get involved in a file with many consequences, finally targeting the resumption of the peace process in Sudan, the Romanian foreign minister added.
“Sudan is a very important country, with huge resources and an exceptional geo-strategic position, but, unfortunately, it is in trouble, and the situation has to be kept in check,” said Geoana.
Sudanese Ambassador to Romania Abdelaziz Marhoun Ahmed appreciated the fact that the Romanian Government shows interest in the situation in Darfur and offers ever more help for finding a good solution to the crisis in the area.