EU head in Sudan over UN troops
2006-09-30 22:21
Khartoum - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso arrived in Khartoum on Saturday aiming to convince the Sudanese government to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force in its war-torn region of Darfur.
Barroso was met at the airport by Sudanese foreign minister Lam Akol, said an AFP correspondent.
Barroso, a former Portuguese prime minister, and European Union aid commissioner Louis Michel are due to meet President Omar al-Beshir on Saturday evening in Khartoum before travelling to Darfur on their two-day trip.
Last month, the UN security council agreed to send a force of 17 000 troops and 3 000 police to Darfur to take over from the existing African Union force, whose mission has been extended until December 31.
But the Sudanese government has repeatedly rejected the offer, arguing that such a move risked worsening the situation in the region.
Fighting between government forces and rebel groups in Darfur has killed about 200 000 people and displaced 2.5 million others since 2003.