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June 24, 2007

US Secretary of State Rice in Paris for Conference on Darfur
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=17ED5FA:A6F02AD83191E160F313B17350FADEA59574F7DCC14957C0 Conference will
include representatives from the United Nations, China, Egypt, the
Arab League, and the European Union





Condoleezza Rice (file photo)U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
is in Paris to discuss a unified international plan to end the crisis
in Sudan's Darfur region.

Rice arrived Sunday to attend a Monday conference that will include
representatives from the United Nations, China, Egypt, the Arab
League, and the European Union. 

Sudan opposes the conference, arguing that any new initiatives could
undermine current Darfur peace efforts by the U.N. and the African
Union.

One subject at Monday's conference will be details about deployment of
the proposed UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur.

Under pressure, Sudan recently agreed to a deployment of about
20-thousand peacekeepers under UN and AU auspices. 

The AU has about seven-thousand peacekeepers in Darfur right now who
have not able to stop the region's rampant violence.

The U.N. estimates that some 200-thousand people have died and about
two-million since rebels launched an uprising in Darfur four years
ago.  Sudan says those figures are exaggerated.

Sudan also denies accusations that it supports militias that have
attacked villages and killed civilians in the region. 

The United States and other nations have labeled the situation in
Darfur a genocide.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.




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