UN, AU envoys meet with key Darfur rebel alliance
A key rebel alliance today told the United Nations and African Union (AU) Special Envoys for Darfur that it is ready to
work with the newly-deployed hybrid peacekeeping force, known as UNAMID.
The Envoys, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, held a four-hour meeting in an undisclosed location in the north-west of
the war-ravaged Sudanese region with the United Resistance Front (URF), a grouping of several of Darfur's splintering
movements.
In today's meeting - the first between the URF and the Special Envoys - the alliance said that it is prepared to work
with the UNAMID force, and asked that a formal meeting be convened to clarify the deployment and role of the
peacekeepers.
The URF leadership also noted that it is prepared to present its political and military structure as promised late last
year in Juba, in southern Sudan.
Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim, who are on the second day of their visit to Darfur, visited a market and school while in the
area, and commended the movements' unification efforts, which the Special Envoys believe are crucial for the peace
process to succeed.
They will continue touring the region tomorrow, with a scheduled visit with commanders of Abdul Wahid's faction of the
Sudan Liberation Army (SLA).
Meanwhile, the head of UNAMID today met with Sudan's new Minister of Foreign Affairs in a bid to bolster understanding
and cooperation between the two sides.
Rodolphe Adada, who also serves as UN/AU Joint Special Representative, paid a courtesy call to Deng Alor, and the two
agreed to maintain regular contacts to remove obstacles to the smooth deployment of the new mission and to push the
ongoing Darfur peace process forward.
Stressing that UNAMID is the result of a partnership among the UN, AU and Sudanese Government, Mr. Adada noted during
the meeting that close cooperation is crucial for the hybrid peacekeeping force to succeed in bringing an end to the
violence that continues to plague the region.
Mr. Alor assured the Special Representative that Darfur is one of the Government's top priorities, and that the Foreign
Ministry has been tasked with reconciling Sudan with the international community through dialogue to improve confidence
and dispel any suspicions.
ENDS