The European Union (EU) welcomed on Wednesday the agreement of good will and confidence building for the settlement of the issue in Darfur, western Sudan, reached Tuesday between the Sudanese government of unity and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Doha, Qatar.
Calling the agreement "an important step in the right direction, " EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana called on the Sudanese parties to continue on this path, and to start implementing this agreement in view of an early framework agreement leading to a cessation of hostilities, one of the prerequisites to end the conflict in Darfur.
In a statement, Solana confirmed the EU commitment to support this process and hoped that further steps in direction of a genuine political process will follow soon.
The EU top diplomat also highly commended the unyielding involvement of the Qatari authorities and the joint AU/UN chief negotiator Djibrill Bassole in the negotiations and encouraged them to continue to provide the necessary conditions for further talks as agreed by the Sudanese government and JEM.
The Sudanese Government and JEM signed Tuesday the agreement under the auspices of the government of Qatar and Bassole, which includes measures to aid and protect refugees in Darfur and a commitment by both sides to continue negotiations in Doha.