President’s Special Envoy to the Sudan Andrew Natsios Issues Statement On “The Conclusions of the High Level Consultation on the Situation in Darfur”

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Chairperson of the African Union Commission Alpha Oumar Konare convened a high-level meeting at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on the situation in Darfur. Representatives of the international community approved a new framework for protecting victims of the atrocities in Darfur, and resolving the political crisis. In a consensus document, representatives from the African Union, including Gabon, South Africa, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo, the Arab League, including Egypt and Libya, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, the European Union, and Sudan affirmed the major elements of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706. This includes the expansion of the peacekeeping force in Darfur to approximately 20,000. The force would be primarily African in composition and commanded by an African general. The United States welcomes the successful outcome of this historic meeting.