TOKYO, June 30, (SPA) - Japan will send militaryOfficials to U.N. peacekeeping operations in Sudan, PrimeMinister Yasuo Fukuda said on Monday, Reuters reported. Speaking after a meeting in Tokyo with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Fukuda said officials would besent to the U.N. Mission in Sudan known as UNMIS, whichsupervises the peacekeeping operation of 10,000 personnel. The government has yet to decide how many officials wouldbe sent or when, a foreign ministry official said. "I ... conveyed to the Secretary General Japan'sdetermination as a peace-fostering nation to actively make acomprehensive contribution to the peace and development of theinternational community," Fukuda told reporters in a jointpress conference with Ban. Ban, in Tokyo before heading to Hokkaido, northern Japan,for a July 7-9 G8 summit, said he welcomed the move.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/569813