Co-operate with AU to stop spillover of the Darfur conflict-President Kufuor

Midrand, May 7, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor, on Monday asked Sudan and its neighbours to show genuine commitment to peace by co-operating with the African Union (AU) to help prevent the widening of the Darfur conflict.

They should do more to stop arms flow across their frontiers to rebel groups operating against each other's Government, he said, in response to a question on what the Union was doing to end the Darfur problem that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced over two million people at a press conference in Midrand, South Africa.

This was after he had addressed the opening of the Seventh Ordinary Session of the Pan-African Parliament. President Kufuor, who is the Chairman of the AU allayed any suspicion that the Sudanese Government might be having about the AU-United Nations Hybrid Peacekeeping Force, with the assurance that, it was not going in there to meddle or undermine the country's territorial integrity.

He stated that the Union has been showing a lot of initiative to bring peace to the Darfur region and other troubled spots, including Somalia. President Kufuor also answered questions on the AU's position on the widely criticised Nigerian recent polls, the political situation in Zimbabwe and what Africa was taking to the Group of Eight Industrialized Nations (G-8) summit to be held in Germany in June, this year.

Regarding the Nigerian flawed elections, he welcomed the decision by the political actors to use peaceful constitutional means to challenge the election results and correct any aberrations.

Touching on the G-8 Summit, he stated that Africa was looking for new partnerships and joint ventures to open up the region in the areas such as Telecommunications and Energy and this is what they would be bringing to the table.

Later at a luncheon held in his honour by the PAP, President Kufuor said, he was optimistic that Africa would realise the dream of establishing a Union Government much sooner than expected. "Great times are ahead. Africa is rising up, lets continue to work together."

Madam Gertrude Mongella, the Tanzanian President of the Pan-African Parliament, congratulated Ghana for its 50 years of nationhood and the pionnering role it played in the liberation struggle, noting that the country has not only survived but was on the path of real development.

The PAP is the legislative body of the AU, which exercises oversight and has advisory and consultative powers.

It aims, among other things, at creating cooperation among regional economic communities and their Members of Parliament, engender co-operation and development in Africa as well as its peace, security and stability. Its 265 members are elected by legislatures of the 53 AU states. President Kufuor would hold talks on bilateral and international issues on Tuesday.