Darfur crisis remains 'huge concern' for UK and Ireland
The conflict in Darfur in western Sudan remains a “huge source of concern” to both the Irish and UK governments, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said today.
The Cabinet Minister said he and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern enjoyed an “excellent” meeting this morning at the Foreign Office.
The two men will attend a meeting of European Foreign Ministers on Monday.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Miliband said: “Most of our discussions today have concentrated on some of the big issues that are going to be discussed there: Kosovo, Burma, which will be in everybody’s minds, but also some of the international issues not least in Africa where the Darfur conflict remains a huge source of concern in both of our countries.
“In many of these theatres, the Irish Republic is playing a very important military as well as diplomatic role.”
Mr Miliband added that the progress in Northern Ireland had offered a “unique” opportunity to take relations between their foreign ministers and Governments to a new level.
Mr Ahern said it was the first time he had been in the Foreign Office even though he had been Foreign Minister for nearly three years.
“I suppose that says a lot about most of the times I have come over here, it would be to 10 Downing Street to deal with issues to do with Northern Ireland,” he said.
He said he and Mr Miliband had agreed that they would meet possibly every six months either in Dublin or London to discuss broader issues.
