CAIRO: Egypt on Saturday proposed a middle solution to the Darfur crisis, suggesting UN peacekeepers in Sudan s war-torn region be funded by the international body rather than by their respective states.
A middle solution could include funding the necessary peacekeeping forces in Darfur from the budget of the United Nations, removing pressures of funding from other parties involved, Abul-Gheit said in a statement after a meeting with the US special envoy for Darfur, Andrew Natsios.
According to Abul-Gheit, the solution would bridge the gap between the government of Sudan which has repeatedly opposed the deployment of UN troops, and the United States.
Washington has been pushing for implementation of Security Council Resolution 1706 which calls for the deployment of 20,000 UN troops in Darfur to take over from the ill-equipped and cash-strapped African Union peacekeepers.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Beshir has repeatedly rejected the presence of foreign troops which he said would amount to an occupation, while Egypt is suggesting UN funding could make the peacekeepers appear more neutral.
Last week, Ibrahim El-Nur, associate professor and director of African Studies at the American University in Cairo told The Daily Star Egypt: “I think the UN is accepting a middle way in which African Union troops would be [enough at the moment for peacekeeping efforts] .it’s a possible compromise.
“Egypt is siding with the Sudanese government against foreign intervention, he added.
UN peacekeepers serve under the operational command of the international body, but they usually remain members of their respective armed forces.
At least 200,000 people have died as a result of fighting, famine and disease, and more than two million fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels launched an uprising in Darfur in early 2003.
