By Prensa Latina
United Nations : UN Undersecretary General Asha Rose Migiro will meet with the Sudanese authorities to discuss the deployment of a peace mission in the convulse province of Darfur, an official UN spokesperson said on Thursday.
The Tanzanian diplomat will meet with Sudanese authorities on a sideline of the Summit between the African Union and the European Union, which opens today in Lisbon, Portugal.
The UN deputy chief is heading a delegation made up of UN Undersecretary General for Peace Operations Edmond Mulet and Deputy Cabinet Chief Kim Won-Soo.
According to the UN spokesperson, discussions will focus on pending issues that are delaying the preparations for the deployment of a 26,000-strong UN-AU joint force (UNAMID) in Darfur in early 2008.
Among the issues to be discussed is Sudanese authorities’ delay in approving the composition of the forces, a permit to fly during the night, the site for the mission’s headquarters, and even the uniform the troops will wear.
There are some other problems, including certain apathy to UN requests to complete the fleet of helicopters and military transportation vehicles needed for UNAMID to operate in a region as big as France.