61. Defense officials in Quito said more troops, equipment, munitions and materials were being transported to the conflict zone in accordance with a state of emergency declared Friday. 62. European foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg also called on Kabila to guarantee humanitarian organisations access to conflict zones. 63. Foreign Secretary Farooq Sobhan said Bangladesh had offered to send more peacekeepers to the conflict zone, in the letter sent to OIC member state mission chiefs in Dhaka. 64. The two leaders were also due to discuss African conflict zones and security along their common borders, the informed sources added. 65. The UN report also calls for a total ban by the international community on arms shipments to conflict zones, and backs moves towards the global elimination of landmines. 66. To achieve that the army would be kept out of the conflict zone, he said. 67. These could include the dispatch of troops to the conflict zone in eastern Zaire to protect humanitarian corridors, or UN observers to monitor a truce. 68. Topics coming up at the conference include protection of civilians in conflict zones, the proliferation of land mines, and better oversight and promotion of humanitarian aid work. 69. It is seen as a crucial step towards projecting an European rapid deployment force quickly into conflict zones and assure logistics for troops. 70. Meanwhile it called on African member countries to create specialised army units which could be deployed in conflict zones on behalf of the OAU. |
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