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Hu tells al-Bashir to give UN bigger role in Darfur
Chinese President Hu Jintao told Sudan's leader he must give the United Nations a bigger role in trying to resolve the conflict in Darfur and also said China wanted to do more business with its key African ally, Sudan state media reported.In what appeared to be China's bluntest message to Sudan on the Darfur crisis, Hu urged President Omar al-Bashir in a face-to-face meeting on Friday to boost the UN's "constructive role in realising peace in Darfur" along with the African Union, the official Sudan news agency Suna reported. China buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil and is the largest investor in the country, giving it some leverage with al-Bashir's government. Sudan has defied a UN Security Council call for the underpowered African Union mission of 7 000 troops in the western region of Darfur to be taken over by a UN operation of 22 000 peacekeepers. China usually refuses to mix human rights issues with diplomacy, but Hu has come under international pressure to use his clout with Sudan to push it to accept UN peacekeepers in Darfur. More than 200 000 people have been killed in four years of fighting in the region between rebels and the army, backed by the notorious Janjaweed militia. Posted by: Besoeker 2007-02-03 |
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