Arabic Media

Novmeber 9, 2007

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: UN Warns Khartoum against Hindering Darfur Force Deployment
By: Tareq Fathi

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon warned Khartoum government against hindering Darfur hybrid force deployment after recognizing that Sudan’s cooperation with air transportation is needed
• The secretary general also said that UN and AU submitted a list of proposed countries to Sudanese government but did not receive an answer yet

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: Demonstrations in Chad against France

• Chadian citizens demonstrated in N’Djamena to demand the return of 7 Europeans released during Sarkozy’s visit last week
• The demonstrators condemned President Sarkozy’s vow to return to Chad and take the rest of suspects back to France regardless of any crime they may have committed
• The remaining suspects face up to 20 years in jail if convicted
• The demonstrations coincided with the suspects’ appearance in court
• The suspects’ lawyers said their clients wanted “to save the children from terror and death,” adding the movement was respected by other aid organizations including UN agencies
• But the aid groups and the UN said they did so because they were not aware of the organizations’ true activities

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: Chad Investigates Other Operations Involving Illegal Children Transfer to France
 

• Chadian authorities are investigating allegations by a local humanitarian organization that documented the disappearance of up to 74 children aged between 1 and 6.   
• The allegations indicate that the children landed in a military airport not too far from Paris, But French authorities said they have no information about any such flight

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: UN Denounces Expulsion of Aid Official in South Darfur and Ban Worried about Delays in Hybrid Force Deployment

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged UN members, in his monthly report to UN Security Council, to provide 24 helicopters and light tactical helicopters for Darfur hybrid force
• The Secretary added that Hybrid force success would also depend on Sudan’s cooperation
• Meanwhile, UN denounced the expulsion of its official – Al Haj Ibrahim - from South Darfur saying it would affect humanitarian effort
• The UN official was charged with actions “inconsistent with humanitarian work principles”

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: US Transported 1000 AU Soldiers to Darfur
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• Alberto Frenandez, US Charge d’Affaires in Sudan, announced that in the past two days US transported 1000 AU soldiers to Darfur in coordination with the Sudanese government
• At the same time he denied US provided military assistance to South Sudan and added “we cooperate with the South even militarily…but we don’t support the South with weapons to fight the North”
• He also said that his country supports Sudan’s territorial integrity

Read the above in Arabic.