Canada announced Wednesday that it will provide 20 million Canadian dollars (about 15 million US dollars) to the African Union (AU) mission in Sudan.

In a statement, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew said Canada remains deeply concerned with the grave situation in Darfur, western Sudan.

Canada once again urges all parties to engage in negotiations to address the political causes of the Darfur conflict, he said.

He added that Canada strongly supports the resolution passed bythe United Nations Security Council on Sept. 18, in particular itsemphasis on the protection of civilians, and the contribution thatan enhanced AU mission make toward ending the violence in Darfur.

The UN resolution calls for an enlarged AU presence in Darfur and that is why Canada strongly supports this proposal, Pettigrew said.

Source: Xinhua