“A United Nations Security Council delegation begins talks today with Sudanese government officials to press demands for a UN peacekeeping force to help end fighting in the western region of Darfur.
The 15-person delegation, led by the U.K. ambassador to the UN, Emry Jones Parry, is also scheduled to visit the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for talks with Africa Union officials before traveling to el-Fasher in Darfur on June 9.
The Sudanese government last month agreed to allow a UN assessment team to visit Darfur to prepare for a transition from the 7,000-member African Union peacekeeping force to a UN contingent of as many as 20,000 troops. The Sudanese authorities haven’t yet agreed to a UN deployment.” [Full story]