Today's Date:

France/United Nations

Mr President,

It is rare for the Security Council to meet to discuss a happy occasion. That is the case today. We are particularly glad to salute the agreement reached in Abuja that finally establishes the prospect for peace in Darfur.

It is equally pleasant to hold this meeting under your presidency. The Abuja agreement is above all a success for the African Union. We know the important role played by your country and yourself. We would also like to hail the international community's support for the AU in this matter.

This success, of course, creates obligations. We are very aware that the Abuja agreement, although it is an essential step, is only a point of departure. It is, in a way, the first paragraph of a road map that concerns us all and should mobilize us all:

- First, we must ensure that all the parties to the conflict join with the Sudanese government and Minni Minawi's Sudan Liberation Movement in rallying to the peace agreement.

- We must encourage the parties to hold a conference of all Darfurians: it will be of fundamental importance to include in the process those forces that were not represented in Abuja.

- We must absolutely – and in this regard we are counting on the AU and the UN Secretary-General – take the necessary measures in the timeliest possible fashion to strengthen the African force in Darfur. The African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has played an essential role; it will be given new tasks as a result of the Abuja agreement. It must also be made ready to pass the baton to the UN.

- Indeed, it is incumbent upon us – and in particular, on the Security Council – to accelerate preparations for a transition from AMIS to a UN peacekeeping operation, as the conditions for such an operation are now nearly in place.

In evoking this road map, I want to be careful not to omit two other major concerns:

- First, it is essential for the international community to remobilize in order to overcome the very troubling deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Darfur as well as in Chad. Since the summer of 2004, France has committed military aircraft to provide all necessary assistance to Darfurian refugees in Chad. It is in the same spirit that we call on the international community to support the UN agencies and NGOs in their remarkable efforts.

- Second, it is now indispensable to approach the question of Darfur from a regional perspective. Already, Chad's stability was nearly compromised by developments in Darfur. Nothing would be worse for Darfur than regional destabilization. We must work to ensure that peace in Darfur provides an opportunity to foster peace in the region.

We hope this message will be heeded by all and that the Security Council will give itself the necessary means in order for this to be the case.

The tragic incidents which occurred lately in Nyala, during Mr Egeland's visit of a camp of internally displaced persons, are very disturbing. They show the degree of tension which exists. They must encourage us to act quickly, on the level of security as well as on the level of humanitarian assistance, and the assassination of an interpreter of the African Force is unacceptable.

Beyond those incidents Mr President, the Abuja agreement is a sign of hope, first and foremost for those suffering people to whom all our thoughts go out today. In this regard as in others, the United Nations will have a key role to play, notably, when the time comes, by taking over the remarkable efforts assumed by the African Mission in Darfur./.