A United Nations high-level meeting on issues of Darfur, Sudan,
was held here Friday with the participants urging all parties
concerned to prepare for negotiations due to begin on Oct. 27 in
Libya.
"The parties should seize this unique opportunity to resolve the
conflict," said a joint press communique issued by the United
Nations and the African Union (AU).
Representatives from 26 countries, the European Union and the
League of Arab States participated in the second UN high-level
consultation which was co-chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and AU Commission Chairperson Alpha Oumar Konar.
The one-day meeting was designed to mobilize international
support behind peace talks next month that will try to end the
conflict in the Darfur region.
The meeting is also aimed at boosting support for the
establishment of the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur (to
be known as UNAMID) and for the humanitarian operations on the
ground in the arid and impoverished region.
Participants of the meeting confirmed their support for the
talks and expressed strong expectations that the forthcoming
negotiations would be "inclusive and decisive."
Ban also announced the creation of a Trust Fund to provide
financial support for the talks.
In its joint communique, the United Nations and African Union,
expressed concern about the level of violence, the continuing
fragmentation of the non-signatory movements, and the deterioration
in the humanitarian situation in the Darfur region.
They called on all parties to exercise full restraint, abide by
previous commitments, and cease all hostilities in the lead up to
political negotiations.
On peacekeeping, the United Nations and African Union called for
support from the international community to ensure the deployment
of a peacekeeping force in the Darfur region.
The two organizations also emphasized the critical importance of
receiving sustained support from the Sudanese government on
operational issues.
At full deployment, the UNAMID will have some 26,000 troops and
police officers, making it the largest peacekeeping operation in
the world.
Representatives of the Sudanese government and Darfur's rebel
groups are due to have talks in Libya on Oct. 27.
The scheduled Tripoli talks will be conducted under the auspices
of the United Nations and African Union envoys for Darfur,Jan
Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim.
It is expected to focus on broadening the Darfur Peace agreement
signed in May 2006 to include those rebel groups which did not sign
it.
Ban, who visited the Darfur region in early September, has
warned that only a comprehensive solution that deals with all the
issues from politics and security to economic development and the
environment will solve the conflict in Darfur.
The UN chief also stressed that the peace talks in Libya next
month must serve as a "final phase for a final settlement."
(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2007)
