LOC16:48
13:48 GMT
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
KHARTOUM, May 26 (KUNA) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir said here
Saturday the issue of Darfur would be finally settled soon according to a UN
plan revised by the African Council of Peace and Security.
The Sudanese leader was speaking at the inaugural session of meetings of
the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union here, saying that
as per the revised UN plan, the African Union (AU) would lead and control
forces in Darfur.
He urged all armed factions in Darfur to join the peaceful process, saying
"Dialogue is the only way to resolve this problem so that the situation could
be back to normal, conflicts and infighting could recede and the return of
refugees and displaced persons could be completed."
The Sudanese government had earlier approved the first and second stages of
a three-stage UN blueprint. The first and second stages involve UN technical
and logistic support for AU forces and deployment of some 3,000 troops and six
combat helicopters.
But, it showed reservations at the third stage, which included the
deployment of over 20,000 soldiers in the Darfur region, which has been locked
in trouble since 2003.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese news agency reported that President Bashir received
a telephone call from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the third package.
In the phone conversation, the UN chief asked Sudan to attend a meeting to
be held between the UN and the AU in Addis Ababa in the first week of June.
For his part, the Sudanese leader accepted Sudan's participation in the
meeting, and called on the UN secretary-general to support the Addis Ababa and
Abuja agreements and a relevant UN Security Council statement.
Ban-Bashir telephone conversation synchronized with a UN approval of a
joint UN-AU deployment of 23,000 troops in Darfur.
Earlier on Thursday, the UN chief presented a three-stage draft plan on a
settlement to the Darfur standoff to the UN. (end)
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