Date of release : 18-03-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers

The Minister for Defence Luc Frieden commented on the situation in Sudan during the informal meeting of Ministers for Defence of the European Union:

"The special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN for Sudan, Jan Pronk, outlined for the Ministers for Defence of the European Union the situation in Sudan and the efforts of the UN in the context of the peace agreement that has been signed. The Security Council of the UN will take up the question and the European Union should see what its role will be. The European Union is a credible actor in Sudan. The question of European participation in United Nations effort was brought up. No decision was yet made. First, we must wait for the decisions of the Security Council. This is a question to which we need to turn our attention, because it affects the lives of thousands of people. Too many have died already in this region. The international community has an important role to play. As this is taking place in Africa, the African Union also plays a key role. We will continue to cooperate with them."