Meeting Between Deputy Secretary Zoellick and the Foreign Minister of Chad Allam-mi Ahmad

Question:   Please provide a readout of Deputy Secretary of State Robert E. Zoellick’s meeting today with the Foreign Minister of Chad.

Answer:   On January 10, Deputy Secretary of State, Robert E. Zoellick met with the Foreign Minister of Chad, Allam-mi Ahmad. The meeting focused on key issues of bilateral concern, including the security situation in eastern Chad and Darfur, the Abuja Peace Process, and the recent changes Chad made to its petroleum revenue management law.

On the situation between Chad and Sudan, Deputy Secretary Zoellick underscored the situation is very dangerous and he expressed concern about displaced persons on both sides of the border. He noted that the conflict between the parties runs the risk of endangering civilians, refugees, and internally displaced persons. The Deputy Secretary has been in touch with Vice President Taha of Sudan and has called on both parties to exercise restraint. He discussed the importance of energizing the AU-led talks in Abuja in order to achieve a political settlement urgently.
The U.S. supports the overarching objective of transparent use of oil revenues for poverty alleviation. The Deputy Secretary urged Chad to engage the World Bank to reach a consensus on any revisions to the existing oil revenue management law.

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