Egypt snubs Nigerian proposal for Darfur meeting in Cairo

CAIRO, Feb 17 (AFP) — Egypt on Thursday rejected a Nigerian proposal to host a meeting on Sudan’s troubled Darfur region in the Egyptian capital later this month.

“We believe the results of the five-way summit held in Chad should first be analysed before considering convening another summit,” presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad told reporters.

He was referring to a summit Wednesday in the Chadian capital N’djamena that brought together the leaders of Sudan, Chad, Congo, Gabon and representatives from Nigeria, Egypt, Libya and the African Union.

The meeting, convened to discuss developments in Darfur, ended with delegates agreeing on steps to ensure respect of a ceasefire in the region, which has been wracked by strife and a humanitarian crisis.

Nigeria had said earlier this month that President Olusegun Obasanjo, the current head of the AU, would chair a meeting on Darfur in Egypt.

But Egypt expressed displeasure at how it came to learn about the planned meeting, saying officials heard about the Nigerian proposal in the media.

“Egypt has not received an official request on this issue,” Awad said.