Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Arab summit closes with adoption of "Khartoum declaration"

The Arab summit closed today with the adoption of the "Khartoum Declaration" which states the Arab position mainly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq and Darfur, Morocco Times reported today:
The final declaration backed Sudan's position against the deployment of UN-led peacekeeping forces in Darfur.

"We will never accept the deployment of international troops in Darfur without our permission," said Sudanese president Omar Hassan El Bachir.

"When we have reached a peace agreement, we will be able to examine the role UN force can play at our request," he added.
Key points re Darfur from the Arab summit's "Khartoum Declaration":

- affirm their support for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur and underline their rejection of deploying other troops here without permission of the Sudanese government, a reference to UN peacekeepers.

- call for parties at the Darfur peace talks to step up efforts to reach a settlement and express their intention "to increase joint Arab forces within the African Union and offer the necessary funding for them to continue their mission."

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