EU official says UN presence in Darfur is vital to civilians there

BRUSSELS, Belgium The European Union on Sunday criticized Sudan's decision to order the chief U.N. envoy out of the country, arguing the role of the United Nations is key to resolving the crisis in Darfur.

"The presence of the United Nations is vital to hundreds of thousands of citizens of the Darfur region," said Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, a spokesman for the EU Commission.

The order for U.N. envoy Jan Pronk to leave within three days will likely further complicate efforts to end the crisis in the strife-torn region of western Sudan, he said.

"The situation is deteriorating rapidly," said Altafaj Tardio. "The U.N. has a key role to play which goes well beyond security and the current discussions on the U.N. deployment." Read more >>>