George Clooney holds Darfur talks with PM Gordon Brown
Story by Jack Foley
IN BETWEEN promoting his new film, Leatherheads, signing autographs for fans in London’s Leicester Square and posing for photographs with some of the world’s most beautiful women, actor, director and UN Messenger of Peace George Clooney has found time to meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss the ongoing crisis in Darfur.
The Hollywood star has long been campaigning for greater awareness and support for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and – together with close friends and co-stars Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle – has set up a charity, Not On Our Watch, to boost funds.
But while in Britain to promote Leatherheads, he spent Tuesday morning (April 8, 2008) at Downing Street discussing the latest issues and exploring ways to make progress.
Speaking afterwards at a press conference for the movie, he described the visit as “a great meeting” at which “two things happened that I thought were amazing”.
“One of the things we’ve been very concerned about are helicopters,” he explained. “It’s a big thing. You’ve got 13,000 UNIMID forces, which is the UN Force that used to be the African Union mostly, that are allowed to be in right now. There’s 26,000 but right now there’s only 13,000 allowed to be in. Those groups can’t get anywhere. They sit in small pockets and they’re not able to protect anyone.
“So, you need helicopters just to get them to places to protect the different camps. It’s been impossible to get the funding. Ethiopia offered a couple of helicopters, which is sort of embarrassing when none of the other countries did, because you obviously can’t use British pilots for these helicopters. So, the first thing was we need helicopters, first and foremost.
“He had a wonderful suggestion and has been almost immediately following through on it of setting up a fund, which we will put together, that the British government and hopefully the French – who we started talking to this afternoon – will begin to put funding together to lease or buy these helicopters in order to create sort of an air of some security for the guys. He was amazingly helpful in that.
“He also suggested that London be a place for the rebel leaders to meet. We had a conversation already today with [Abdel Rahim] Kalil, who is one of the three or four main rebel leaders, who has not really been part of the peace agreements before, but he agreed today to come to London or wherever to do it. I think we have a chance, even though he hasn’t ever shown up.
“It’s all very technical but the bottom line is that we have a chance now of trying to resurrect this idea of getting the rebel groups together, having them have an agreement on what’s going on, because there’s a lot of violence going on among the rebel groups as well, and then being able to go to the Sudanese government as one solid unit and say: “Let’s now try talking again about negotiating peace.” It’s all long and complicated but it was great steos today and really encouraging.”
Clooney did, however, find time to joke with reporters about his age and his good looks, coming back to one question – about what makes him so appealing to women – with a typically charismatic response…
“What’s not to like? How much time do we have? I think it’s really hair. I have good hair which I just bought.”
Read our review of Leatherheads or read the FULL INTERVIEW with George Clooney