"We are in close contact with Qatar. A French mission went there in mid-September and Issa Maraut, the special envoy for Darfur appointed by (Foreign Minister) Bernard Kouchner, is currently in Doha," Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier said in answer to a KUNA question.
Chevalier noted that "France has welcomed Qatars availability to contribute to restarting a political process in Darfur," where over 200,000 mainly civilians have died and two million have been displaced in the past five years.
Both government and rebel forces are being accused of targeting civilians but regular and militia forces controlled by Khartoum are alleged to have committed the most serious war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and two senior Sudanese figures, including a Minister, are wanted for atrocities by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The French spokesman said that his government felt Qatar was making a "useful contribution" and should work fully with the efforts of Jibril Bassole, the UN and African Union mediator for Darfur.
The official further stressed that France would be holding consultations with Bassole in Paris on October 27, when he will meet with Kouchner.
The French Minister has been particularly active on the Darfur issue and made it his top priority upon taking office in May 2007, hosting a major media event to draw attention to the tragedy.
But international disagreements over how much pressure to put on Sudan and growing lethargy among governments has slowed down the process of deploying a 21,000-man, UN-African Union force to protect civilians in Darfur.
