Letter dated 5 May 2006 from the Permanent Representative 
of Austria to the United Nations addressed to the 
Secretary-General


	I have the honour to draw your attention to the statement concerning the Darfur talks, issued on 4 May 2006 by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union (see annex).
	I should be grateful if the present letter and its annex could be circulated as a document of the Security Council.


(Signed) Gerhard Pfanzelter
Permanent Representative of Austria
to the United Nations

		Annex to the letter dated 5 May 2006 from the Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations addressed 
to the Secretary-General

[Original: English, French and Spanish]

		Statement concerning the Darfur talks issued on 4 May 2006
by the Presidency on behalf on the European Union


	The European Union commends the African Union and the Sudanese parties negotiating in Abuja for the progress achieved towards a peace agreement to settle the conflict in Darfur.
	It welcomes the African Union mediation’s draft agreement, which it regards as constituting a good basis for a settlement. It welcomes the Sudanese Government’s acceptance of that draft. It calls on SLM/A and JEM to reach a final agreement with the Sudanese Government along the lines of the mediation’s draft, without further exceeding the deadline set by the African Union.
	Failing to do so would be irresponsible in the light of the immense human suffering of the people in Darfur, and any party standing in the way of an agreement would have to face the consequences outlined in Security Council resolution 1591 (2005).
	The European Union expresses its commitment to support the implementation of an agreement reached in Abuja, including by contributing to the enhancement of AMIS and by supporting the Darfur-Darfur dialogue and post-conflict reconstruction.
	The European Union expresses grave concern about the serious fighting currently occurring in Darfur, which is in contradiction with the positive spirit of the Abuja talks. The European Union reiterates its strong condemnation of all ceasefire violations and in particular attacks on civilians and humanitarian agencies. It urges the Government of the Sudan and the leaders of SLM/A and JEM to take the necessary steps to ensure that the N’Djamena ceasefire is strictly respected by all forces they claim to have under their control, and to fully cooperate with AMIS.
	The European Union believes it to be essential for the transition from AMIS to a United Nations operation in Darfur to happen as quickly as possible. The European Union expresses its concern at the continued failure of the Sudanese Government to allow the visit of the United Nations planning team and calls on it to do so straight away.


	*	Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the stabilization and association process.
	The acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania, the candidate countries Croatia,* the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* and Turkey, the countries of the stabilization and association process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, align themselves with this statement.













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 United Nations
S/2006/293
 
 Security Council
Distr.: General
11 May 2006

Original: English



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 S/2006/293


S/2006/293