President George Bush announced on Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will address the United Nations Security Council, seeking a rapid deployment of peacekeepers to Sudan.
Bush said Rice would address the Security Council on Tuesday, following last week’s peace agreement between the government and rebels.
”She’s going to request a resolution that will accelerate the deployment of UN peacekeepers into Darfur,” Bush told reporters.
”We’re now working with the UN to identify countries that contribute those troops, so the peacekeeping effort will be robust,” the president said.
Bush also announced that he would make a request to the US Congress for some $225-million in new US aid to Sudan.
”I hope Congress will act swiftly on this true emergency,” the president said.
”With the peace agreement signed on Friday Sudan has a chance to begin anew,” Bush declared.
The president spoke by telephone with Sudan’s president, Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir, urging the deployment of UN forces in Darfur, adding that Washington was closely monitoring events there.
”America will not turn away from this tragedy. We will call genocide by it rightful name,” the president said. — AFP
