Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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September 8, 2007

UN Secretary-General in Libya to Discuss Darfur Conference
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19561AC:A6F02AD83191E1608A90776EF7FFBA3B9574F7DCC14957C0 Ban Ki-moon's
visit to Libya follows stop in neighboring Chad where Chadian
president offered to host preliminary meeting of Darfur rebel groups
ahead of talks in Libya next month U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
has arrived in Libya where he plans to discuss the October 27 Darfur
peace conference with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Mr. Ban arrived Saturday in Libya, which the U.N. chief announced
earlier this week would host the conference aimed at ending the
conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan.







UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (L) holds a news conference with Chad
President Idriss Deby in N'Djamena, 07 Sept 2007 Mr. Ban's visit to
Libya follows his stop in neighboring Chad. On that visit, Chadian
President Idriss Deby offered to host a preliminary meeting of Darfur
rebel groups ahead of the talks in Libya next month.

Divisions among the rebel groups have been a major factor holding back
peace efforts in Darfur.

Mr. Deby said in N'Djamena Friday that Chad has experience dealing
with the rebels and knows them personally.

Libya has recently hosted several meetings on the Darfur crisis to try
to push the peace process forward.

The violence in Darfur has driven tens of thousands of Sudanese
refugees into eastern Chad and the Central African Republic. Chad and
Sudan share a 900-kilometer border, and armed groups frequently cross
over to attack villages and civilians.

The fighting in Darfur has killed an estimated 200,000 people and
displaced more than two million residents.

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




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