Brussels, 17/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg on 17 October decided to prolong EU support for the African Union mission in Darfur (AMIS II) until 31 December 2006. The decision, adopted without debate, implements Joint Action 2005/557/CFSP and is totally in keeping with that taken by the African Union Peace and Security Council to prolong the AMIS II mandate until the end of the year. Pending the transfer of AMIS II to a United Nations peace force, EU civil and military support (support to the AMIS police component, planning and technical assistance, the availability of military observers, African troop and observer training, and strategic and technical transport) should help AMIS II to fulfil its strengthened mandate effectively.
In the conclusions adopted on Tuesday on the situation in Darfur, ministers restate the Council's deep concern about the lack of security and the humanitarian situation in the region, and call for an immediate cessation of human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law. The Council strongly condemns all violation of the Ndjamena agreement on the humanitarian ceasefire and of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1591. Stressing that a United Nations operation is the only realistic solution for achieving lasting peace, the Council welcomes the intense effort made by various international partners to convince the Sudanese authorities to accept deployment of UN peacekeepers on Sudanese territory. (an)