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Sunday
Dec 06th

EU grants 300 million euros to Sudan

Brussels, Belgium - The European Union (EU) has decided to grant a 300-mi llion euro financial aid to Sudan under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) , a financial instrument of the Cotonou Agreement binding on the 27 EU countries and the 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries for 20 years.

Louis Michel, European commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, announced this to Khartoum, in Oslo, Norway, where the donors' conference on Sudan was taking place, Wednesday.

In addition to the 300 million Euros, the EU has decided to grant a 100-million Euro humanitarian aid to Sudan for 2008.

Michel, who met in Oslo, Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, expressed the hope the funds would facilitate the implementation of the global peace agreement concluded in 2004 to put an end to the civil war in Sudan.

He called the Sudanese officials to honour their commitments to implement the full global peace agreement.

Michel also called on the international community for the "effective" deployment of the UN-UA hybrid force in Sudan (UNAMID)

The expected force comprised 26,000 troops, most of whom are Africans, should ha ve been deployed at the same time as the EUFOR, the establishment of which is in its finishing stages in Chad and Central African Republic.

After the deployment of the EUFOR, the MINURCAT, UN mission in charge of trainin g the 850 Chadian policemen, was expected to arrive in Chad, as the EUFOR Europe a n troops are in charge of protecting the UN civilian staff.
 
Brussels - 08/05/2008

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