[originaltext] International donors meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ab

International donors meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have been asked to provide vital support for the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in the Sudanese region of Darfur. The African Union has just over two and a half thousand troops in Darfur monitoring the security situation there. It has agreed to increase their number fourfold. But African countries lack the resources. The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is opening the Addis Ababa meeting at which donors from the United Nations, the European Union and NATO will examine request for help. The NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told the BBC his organization was ready to help the African Union.
   "As a NATO Secretary-General, and I’m as much shocked and appalled and so are the NATO allies by what’s happening in.. in... in Darfur. Indeed we should be able to do much more than we do at the moment. But given the present situation, I’m here, on behalf of NATO to see what NATO can assist the African Union."