The Situation in Darfur
State's Zoellick Urges Global Support for Darfur Peace Accord
U.N. peacekeeping mission, food deliveries vital to sustain agreement
20 May 2006
Washington -- The international community must continue to take immediate actions on a number of peacekeeping, political, and humanitarian fronts to sustain the Darfur Peace Accord, signed in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 5, according to Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick.
Zoellick spoke in The Hague, the Netherlands, on May 18 before attending the World Economic Summit on the Middle East in Egypt.
"This is a very critical time to have the follow-up actions build on the Abuja Peace Accord," Zoellick said. He listed several urgent tasks, among them integrating the African Union forces into a strengthened U.N. peacekeeping mission, expediting shipments of food and humanitarian aid, encouraging splinter rebel groups to sign the peace agreement, and keeping "focus and attention on the government of Khartoum, particularly to rein in the Jingaweit." (See related article.)
Zoellick, describing the past week as useful in maintaining the momentum of the peace accord, cited passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution on peacekeeping, the commitment of additional food aid from the United States and Canada, and the lifting of travel restrictions on nongovernmental organizations by the Sudanese government.
"The government notified all the Arab tribes in the region that any breach of peace from Arab militias would be met with a very strong response," he said. (See related article.)
"The peace accord is an opening," Zoellick said. "It's an opportunity, but we have to complement it with active support on the security side, the economic side, the political side."
He paid tribute to the level of international cooperation on the Darfur issues, which he called "extraordinary," pointing to the efforts of the EU, Canada, African Union, and the Arab League. Zoellick also thanked the Netherlands for its offer to host a conference on reconstruction and development in Darfur, which he said might take place in the fall.
For more information, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.
A transcript of Zoellick's remarks is available on the State Department Web site.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)