(ST)

The UN Security Council today (UNSC) welcomed the report compiled by the African Union High Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD) that contains a roadmap for resolving the crisis in Sudan’s Western region.

The ambassador of Burkina Faso Michel Kafando, who holds the UNSC rotating presidency, said that the council “looked forward to the implementation of a holistic approach to the problems facing Sudan”.

Kafando said that the UNSC “agreed with the report that the causes and consequences of the conflict in Darfur have yet to be addressed”.

The AUPD former chairman Thabo Mbeki addressed the UNSC along with the Chairperson of African Union Commission Jean Ping on the findings of the commission and their plans for implementing the recommendations.

Mbeki emphasized the need to resolve the Darfur crisis well before the April 2010 elections to enable Darfuris to take part in the polls.