Spanish FM calls for African Union role in solving Darfur problem
KHARTOUM, Sept, Sep 18, 2004 (Xinhua) — Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos called here Saturday on the international community to give the African Union more time to solve the Darfur problem in Sudan.
Moratinos, in a joint press conference with his Sudanese counterpart Mustafa Othman Ismail, affirmed “the African Unity is the ideal framework for security and political consultations in Darfur”.
He also said the European Union “can participate in this framework to ensure security in Darfur, pointing out that Spain, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, deals with the Darfur problem in a constructive way in order to convince the Security Council to issue a suitable resolution.
Moratinos affirmed his country’s concern of the Darfur problem, adding he would take the views of the Sudanese government on the problem to the European Union.
He expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by the Sudanese government to solve the Darfur problem and the positive results of the efforts in the fields of humanitarian affairs and security.
He announced his country’s opposition to the one-sided exploitative intervention, adding the coming days would witness the reopening of the Spanish Embassy in Khartoum, which was closed in 1992, to strengthen political, economic and cultural relations with the Sudanese people, he said.
He said Spain has provided 2 million Euros of humanitarian assistance to the affected people in Darfur, which will be increased to 7 million.
The Spanish foreign minister arrived in Khartoum on Friday for a two-day visit to Sudan.