US President, NATO Secretary General discuss Darfur

Photo: President Bush meets with generals and other high ranking military officials during his visit to the Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, February 17, 2006. (Reuters/Jason Reed)



Feb 17, 2006 Reuters report quotes Mr Bush as saying double the number of international troops were needed for peacekeeping efforts in Darfur:

"I'm in the process now of working with a variety of folks to encourage there to be more troops, probably under the United Nations," Bush said. "But it's going to require, I think, a NATO stewardship, planning, facilitating, organizing -- probably double the number of peacekeepers that are there now."

AFP report Feb 17, 2006 says Washington had set a goal of using its presidency of the UN Security Council this month to push through a resolution setting out the size and terms of a UN force for Darfur. Mr Bush and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discussed ways to respond to the worsening situation in Darfur, the White House said today.

Note, the AFP report quotes Dr Rice as saying "On Darfur, our policy is unchanged. It is our view that genocide was committed and in fact continues in Darfur."

Unchanged? Click here or here to see previous news reports listed under the heading of "further reading".

Note Jan 29, 2006 U.N. sounds Darfur warning in 42-page OHCHR report - U.S. condemns attacks by Sudan's SLA