Brussels, 23/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The foreign affairs ministers of the EU, meeting in Luxembourg on 23 April, stated once again that they were “deeply concerned about the appalling security situation in Darfur which continues to threaten the civilian population” and to block access for humanitarian aid workers to populations in need of help. In its conclusions, the Council is particularly concerned at the series of attacks against the mission of the African Union in Sudan, which left nine peacekeeping soldiers dead and “strongly condemns the most recent incident on 14 April in which an AMIS officer was shot in El Fasher”. Reiterating the urgent need to reach a global political agreement, the Council unreservedly supports the efforts made by the special envoy of the EU, Mr Salim Salim, and by the United Nations special envoy, Jan Eliansson, and calls upon all parties to the conflict to help bring about a climate which is conducive to negotiation. Welcoming the agreement concluded between Khartoum, the United Nations and the African Union on the implementation of all provisions of the heavy support component, it reiterates that there is an urgent need to move to the deployment of a “full-time joint mission of the African Union and the United Nations in Darfur” and welcomes progress made towards this objective, in New York on 16 April, at a meeting between the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, and Alpha Konaré, the president of the Commission of the African Union. The Council reaffirmed the EU's willingness to contribute to bringing about a peaceful, prosperous and united Sudan, and voices its full confidence in Ambassador Torben Brylle, the new EU special representative for Sudan. (an)