Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner will receive Rodolphe Adada, former foreign minister of the Republic of the Congo, who was recently appointed jointly by the UN secretary-general and the African Union Commission president to head the UN/AU hybrid force which will be deployed in Darfur.
The meeting comes at a time when the UN and African Union are on the verge of finalizing the precise characteristics of the operation which will constitute the third phase of the plan to strengthen the international presence in Darfur.
The minister will recall France's support for the UN efforts in Darfur and its attachment to Sudan's agreement quickly to the complete deployment of this operation which will take over from the African peace-keeping mission in Sudan (AMIS) already on the ground.
The meeting will also afford an opportunity to take stock of the deployment of the 3,000 UN personnel scheduled in the UN enhanced support package for the African force (phase 2 which has already been agreed to by Khartoum) and the current efforts to revive the political process between the government and Sudanese rebel forces.
Lastly the minister will discuss with Mr. Adada options on which France is working with countries in the region, its European partners and members of the G8 and the Security Council to support the international mobilization in Darfur and in the region, particularly to improve the security and humanitarian situation of the population there.