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Senior UN official convenes two days of round-table talks on Chad

Senior UN official convenes two days of round-table talks on Chad

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The top United Nations official in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) is convening two days of international talks starting today that are aimed at finding ways to help support the nascent UN peacekeeping mission being deployed to the strife-torn African countries.

The round-table discussions, which are being held in Stockholm, were initiated by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the CAR and Chad, Victor Angelo, according to a press release issued today by the mission, known as MINURCAT.

The mission, authorized by the Security Council in September last year, includes a multi-dimensional UN presence and a European Union military force (EUFOR) that are jointly trying to bring stability to eastern Chad and north-eastern CAR, which have been beset by widespread fighting and civilian displacement in recent years.

Under the resolution establishing MINURCAT, a special unit known as the Détachement intégré de sécurité (DIS) is being created to carry out a series of tasks, including the maintenance of law and order in camps for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The DIS is also tasked with promoting human rights protection, creating a corridor to safely deliver humanitarian assistance to those in need and protecting any civilians in danger.

The Stockholm talks will examine “the peace and security dividends to be reaped if Chadian issues are properly addressed” by the parties and the wider international community, the press release said.

“The discussions should pave the way for a productive Security Council meeting slated for September 2008 with a particular emphasis on a result-oriented international approach to the resolution of the Chadian conflict.”

Envoys and representatives from Chad, the African Union, the European Union, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, La Francophonie and key individual States are slated to participate in the Stockholm talks.