UN to 'step up' Darfur actions
2007-07-18 08:39
Washington - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told United States President George W Bush on Tuesday that he would "step up" efforts to quell violence in Darfur and backed his host's call for a Middle East conference.
Ban cited "considerable progress" towards quelling violence in Darfur and vowed: "we are going to step up the political process". He was speaking after "positive" talks in Tripoli on holding new talks between Khartoum and fragmented rebel groups.
The president used his remarks during a joint appearance after talks at the White House to focus on a just-released US intelligence report that warned that al-Qaeda had regrouped and planned new terrorist attacks on America.
Bush said: "Al-Qaeda is strong today, but they're not nearly as strong as they were prior to September the 11th, 2001. Al-Qaeda would have been a heck of a lot stronger today had we not stayed on the offense."
Humanitarian assistance
Bush said they had discussed his new Middle East peace overture, efforts to create a tribunal in the murder of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri, as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Darfur but offered no further details.
Ban said Darfur negotiations were set for Arusha, Tanzania, in early August, and vowed to accelerate moves toward the deployment of a joint UN-African Union force.
The UN chief added: "We are also going to facilitate humanitarian assistance. I am going to step up efforts to deploy hybrid operations as soon as possible in Darfur, to resolve this issue as soon as possible."
On Monday, Ban urged the UN security council to vote this week on a draft resolution authorising the deployment of a joint UN-AU force, saying it would allow more than 20 000 military personnel and civilian police into the strife-torn province.
'I expect more discussions'
Neither Bush nor Ban mentioned Iran's contested nuclear programme despite expectations that the security council could soon take up a new UN sanctions resolution punishing Tehran over its defiance of international demands.
State department spokesperson Sean McCormack said: "On Iran, I expect that in the coming weeks there's going to be more discussion in New York about a possible sanctions resolution."
He said that under secretary of state Nicholas Burns discussed "the elements of a future security council resolution" with top officials from the council's other permanent veto-wielding members, Britain, China, France and Russia.
Ban also said he had invited Bush to a "high-level UN debate on climate change" on September 24 and added that "your participation will be very much appreciated". Bush didn't say whether he would attend.
Ahead of the White House talks, Bush spokesperson Tony Snow had said the president would make "an expression of concern about Iran's continued defiance of UN security council resolutions".