UN chief hails Chad-Sudan talks for normal ties

Source: Xinhua | 05-04-2009 09:19

UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday welcomed the peace talks between Chad and Sudan to normalize their bilateral relations, and urged both countries to "make every effort to ease tensions."

Ban, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, said, he "is concerned at reports about the recent build up and movement of armed elements on both sides of the Chad-Sudan border."

"In this context, the secretary-general welcomes the discussions towards the normalization of bilateral relations between the governments of Chad and Sudan held this week in Doha and calls on both parties to make every effort to ease tensions," the statement said.

During the Doha talks, started Thursday under sponsorship of Qatar and Libya, Sudan and Chad are expected to hammer out a lasting solution to end their tension, reports said.

The Sudan-Chad relations have been in tension due to the conflict in Darfur and a civil war in Chad, which both governments accuse the other of supporting. The Darfur conflict has left hundreds of thousands of people dead since it began in February 2003.

Some 250,000 people fled into neighboring Chad for refuge.

Editor:Zhang Yun