| The U.S. special envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, | | | | U.N. Security Council last week approved a resolution |
| says he is encouraged by the agreement reached | | | | authorizing a force of 26,000 U.N. and African Union |
| Monday by eight Darfur rebel groups on a common | | | | peacekeepers to replace a beleaguered 7,000 |
| platform for peace talks with the Sudanese | | | | member A.U. mission, in Darfur since 2004. |
| government. Formal negotiations between the | | | | The handover of authority from the African Union to |
| Khartoum government and the rebels are expected | | | | the hybrid force is to occur by December 31, though |
| to begin in October. VOA's David Gollust reports the | | | | Natsios said he hopes that a U.N. command structure |
| State Department. | | | | and a funding mechanism for the new force, |
| Much of the focus of international diplomacy on | | | | expected to cost $2 billion a year, will be in place well |
| Darfur has been on assembling an upgraded | | | | before year's end. |
| international peacekeeping force for the troubled | | | | The mission will be led by a Nigerian commander and, |
| region. | | | | at the insistence of Sudan, will be largely African. But |
| But Natsios says the only way to end the Darfur | | | | Natsios said it is already apparent that non-African |
| crisis is through a political settlement, and thus he is | | | | troops will have to be used to round out the |
| "very encouraged" by the deal struck Monday in | | | | peacekeeping force, which will be one of the largest |
| Arusha, Tanzania among rebel groups on a common | | | | in U.N. history. |
| platform in advance of peace talks with the | | | | "I think there is an understanding by the Sudanese |
| government. | | | | government that we're going to have to go outside |
| In a telephone conference call with State | | | | Africa," said Natsios. "This is a sensitive issue internally |
| Department reporters, the U.S. envoy called the | | | | within certain constituencies of the Sudanese |
| Arusha agreement, and last week's unanimous U.N. | | | | government, and so they're going to keep repeating |
| Security Council resolution on Darfur peacekeeping, | | | | these things." |
| "critical turning points" in the conflict. | | | | "But an agreement has been reached, and we |
| "The Arusha meeting that just concluded a couple | | | | expect that the Sudanese government is going to |
| days ago in Tanzania was, I think, a reenergizing of | | | | implement what they've agreed to, which is that if |
| the political process, and now will begin a formal | | | | we can't get sufficient trained troops, we will go |
| sequencing of events that I hope will lead to a | | | | outside of Africa, which I have to say I expect is |
| political settlement," said Natsios. | | | | going to happen," he added. |
| "The only way the crisis in Darfur is going to be | | | | Natsios said he does not think Sudan will renege on |
| resolved is through a political settlement. In many | | | | the peacekeeping understanding but he noted that if |
| respects the purpose of the peacekeeping force, | | | | it does, President Bush has already made clear the |
| beyond protection of the civilians and | | | | United States would pursue new U.N. sanctions |
| non-combatants and the relief effort, is to implement | | | | against Khartoum. |
| a peace settlement. In fact that's specifically called | | | | He said the United States, under the U.N. assessment |
| for in the resolution," he continued. | | | | system, will pay more than one-fourth of the cost of |
| Natsios, who last visited Sudan three weeks ago, said | | | | the Darfur force and may also provide some logistical |
| he believes Sudanese authorities are prepared to be | | | | support, as it did for the African Union deployment. |
| flexible in the October negotiations, even though the | | | | But he said he cannot envisage American troops |
| Khartoum government has said it is not prepared to | | | | being part of the U.N. mission, largely because Sudan |
| renegotiate terms of the Darfur peace deal it signed | | | | would not consider the United States a neutral party. |
| with some rebel factions in Nigeria in May last year. | | | | The conflict in Darfur began in early 2003 when local |
| The fractious Darfur rebels, in their unity accord this | | | | rebels took up arms against the government. |
| week brokered by U.N. Special Envoy Jan Eliasson | | | | Khartoum responded by backing Arab militia allies in a |
| and his African Union counterpart Salim Ahmed Salim, | | | | scorched earth campaign in the western region that |
| agreed on a common approach on power, | | | | led to the deaths of at least 200,000 people and |
| wealth-sharing and land and humanitarian issues. | | | | displaced more than 2 million more. |
| After months of bitter negotiations with Sudan, the | | | | |