INTERVIEW-Next U.N. chief pledges swift action on Darfur

Nov 7 2006 Reuters - excerpt:

The U.N. secretary-general elect, South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon, said on Tuesday he aimed to meet Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir as soon as possible to break the deadlock over U.N. peacekeepers going to Darfur.

Ban, who takes office on Jan. 1, said the international community and the United Nations in particular needed to halt the violence in Sudan's western Darfur region "before it's too late".

"I'm going to meet Sudanese leaders and other African leaders to help resolve this Darfur crisis before it's too late," Ban told Reuters in an interview in Seoul.

Asked if he planned to meet Bashir, Ban replied: "I hope I'll be able to meet him as soon as possible; but I'll try to meet the foreign minister first."

See Nov 10 2006 - Sudan's FM talks with next U.N. chief.