United Nations, September 5, 2007 - France said Wednesday it would host a high-level summit in New York later this month to discuss peace and security issues in Africa.

The meeting, to be held Sept. 25 as the annual U.N. General Assembly session opens, will examine how the U.N. could improve its response to the continent's various political and humanitarian crises, from the Darfur conflict in Sudan to the violence in Somalia, said France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert.

"The idea is a simple one — to ratchet up attention and interest in the conflicts ravaging Africa today," he told reporters at U.N. headquarters.

He said a dozen heads of state have indicated their interest in attending the summit, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and top officials of the African Union.

France last month drafted a U.N. Security Council statement giving preliminary approval to the deployment of European Union troops and U.N. police to help protect civilians in Chad and the Central African Republic caught in the spillover of the Darfur conflict.

Ripert said Wednesday there are now 400,000 refugees and internally displaced people in Chad, and more than 200,000 displaced people in the northern Central African Republic.

He said he hopes the Security Council will approve a resolution authorizing the force by the end of this month so it could be sent to the region at the same time a 26,000-strong U.N.-AU force begins deploying in Darfur.

Source: The Associated Press