§ Tom BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consult other members of the United Nations Security Council with a view to a resolution under Chapter VII of the Charter to address the situation in Darfur, Sudan. [169440]
§ Mr. MullinOn 8 April the Sudanese Government and the Sudan Liberation Movement and Justice and Equality Movement signed a ceasefire agreement.
Our priority now is to encourage the parties to implement the agreement. We do not consider that a Resolution under Chapter VII of he United Nations Charter would be appropriate. However we remain in close contact with other Security Council members about Darfur. The UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs briefed the Security Council about Darfur on 2 April, and we expect that there will be another briefing soon.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what developments have been made to establish a clear international mechanism to monitor(a) the attack on civilians and (b) the access of agencies providing humanitarian assistance in Darfur, Sudan. [169325]
1608W
§ Mr. MullinThe 8 April Ceasefire Agreement provides for a Ceasefire Commission, with a role for the international community. We hope that such a monitoring mechanism will help ensure the protection of civilians and also the effective disbursement of humanitarian assistance. We are in close contact with the parties and other members of the international community, including the African Union, to try to help set up such a monitoring mechanism as quickly as possible. The AU chaired a meeting on this matter in Addis Ababa on 19–20 April, and we understand that they are currently in consultation with the parties. We are in almost daily contact with the Government of Sudan and the Darfur groups about the crisis in Darfur.