MINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin held a series of meetings on behalf of kidnapped aid worker Sharon Commins in New York last night. The Irish aid worker was kidnapped along with her Ugandan colleague Hilda Kawuki in Darfur on July 3rd.
Mr Martin met with UN undersecretary general Gregory Starr because the UN force UNAMID has also had two people kidnapped in Darfur. “We are sharing experiences,” the Minister said. He also spoke at length to Scott Gration, President Barack Obama’s envoy on Darfur, who has intervened on Ireland’s behalf with the Sudanese government in the past.
“I felt the meeting with Scott Gration was very useful,” Mr Martin said. “He gave us a more complete picture of the state of things on the ground in Darfur.”
Mr Martin was scheduled to meet with Dr Ghazi Salahudin, head of the Sudanese delegation to the UN General Assembly and its special representative on Darfur, last night. “He is one of the key people. When we heard he was here, we were anxious to come and meet him,” Mr Martin said. He held a first meeting with Dr Salahudin about two weeks ago.