U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to strengthen and support the under-equipped African Union (A.U.) force in Sudan's troubled Darfur region and appealed for international support to end the humanitarian crisis there. Addressing a special ministerial session of the 15-member council, Rice praised last week's inter-Sudanese peace accord signed between Khartoum and the main Darfur rebel group in Abuja, Nigeria as a “historic opportunity for the people of Darfur to secure real peace.” Rice also urged the Security Council to “quickly pass” the resolution circulated by the United States on Monday. Rice also highlighted the need to address the humanitarian challenge in Darfur, saying, “I call upon all nations to do their part to help the World Food Program feed and care for the people of Darfur.” She said her government plans to attend a Dutch-hosted conference on development and reconstruction in Darfur and urged other nations to do so as well.
