The Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot left for Sudan on Wednesday as part of a renewed European Union drive to end the crisis in the country's Darfur region. A statement by the current Dutch E.U. presidency said Bot would be visiting Sudan along with his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn and representatives of the European Commission. Bot is expected to meet senior Sudanese officials and the United Nations secretary general's envoy, Manuel Aranda Da Silva. Dutch officials said the visit was part of the E.U.'s efforts to bring peace to Darfur, with Bot expected to send a "strong message" to the Sudanese authorities on the "measures and subsequent steps" that the bloc may take if the government does not meet its pledges to bring peace to the region. E.U. governments have agreed that any continuation of the Darfur crisis could prompt aid and trade sanctions against Sudan. But officials say this will be done in coordination with the UN, the African Union and the United States. "In addition to putting pressure on the Sudanese government, the E.U. will continue to exert pressure on the rebels so that a quick political resolution of the crisis in Darfur can be found," the Dutch government statement said. --SP 1403 Local Time 1103 GMT
