Brussels, 25/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - In Paris, where the UN, the EU, the United States, China, Russia and Japan are discussing, without Sudan, political ways of breaking the crisis in Darfur, Louis Michel, the European commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, announced on 25 June that on top of the €460 million in humanitarian aid allocated by the European Commission since 2004 (€93 million since the start of 2007), an additional €31 million would be added, “in preparation for the coming months”. Whilst paying tribute to the soldiers and countries which have contributed to the AMIS mission, which is supported by the EU, the commissioner called for the rapid deployment of 23,000 soldiers and police from the joint UN/AU force to provide vital protection for humanitarian workers and those affected by the conflict. Louis Michel added (our translation): “Our agenda is not an interventionist one, we do not wish to impose anything, and we will not be pursuing regime change in Khartoum, as certain Sudanese leaders pretend to believe. But we have this collective responsibility to protect the civil populations when there is no longer any order or security on the ground. We must put all our weight behind the political process. The United Nations/African Union roadmap must be the only framework for the negotiation (…). Any political solution must be supported by a concrete international reconstruction plan. The Commission will be a driving force behind this process”. (an)