Addis Ababa - A high-level technical consultation was held in Addis Ababa on 11-12 June 2007, pursuant to the 4 June 2007 letters of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission addressed to President Omar Al-Bashir and further discussions among them. The technical consultations were attended by delegations from the Government of Sudan, the African Union and the United Nations.
The participants discussed the comprehensive clarifications jointly provided by the African Union and the United Nations on the Hybrid Operation in Darfur, as contained in the report of the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on the Hybrid Operation (S/2007/307/Rev.l), in particular its specific recommendations about the mandate and structure of the Operation, and details on its various components and tasks. In view of the explanations and clarifications provided by the AU and the UN as contained in the presentation, the Government of Sudan accepted the joint proposals on the Hybrid Operation.
The meeting concluded that the proposed operation would contribute considerably to the stabilization of the situation in Darfur in its political, humanitarian and security dimensions. The participants underlined the need for the resolutions/decisions authorizing this Operation to be adopted by the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council, taking into account the conclusions of the 16 November 2006 high-level meeting held in Addis Ababa, as endorsed by the 30 November 2006 Summit meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Statement of the President of the Security Council on 19 December 2006; the Riyadh agreement of 28 March 2007; as well as the conclusions of the high=AClevel consultative meeting on the UN Heavy Support Package for AMIS held on 9 April 2007 and the high-level consultative meeting on the AU UN report on the Hybrid Operation held in Addis Ababa on 11-12 June 2007.
The participants further agreed on the need for an immediate comprehensive ceasefire accompanied by an inclusive political process, and stressed the need for troop and police contributing countries as well as donors to facilitate the early and successful implementation of the Hybrid Operation. The Sudanese delegation also raised the issue of exit strategy and the participants agreed that the requirements for the Hybrid Operation will be periodically reviewed subject to the conditions on the ground and the decisions of the two Councils.
The consultations confirmed the commitment of the United Nations, the African Union and the Government of Sudan to the spirit of constructive engagement. In this context, the consultations also confirmed the need to take forward expeditiously and in full transparency the implementation of the three-phase approach to peacekeeping in Darfur. The Government of Sudan committed itself to cooperating closely with the African Union and the United Nations and all participants undertook to carry out their commitments.