The African Union yesterday called for a holistic approach in dealing with the various crises in the Sudan, in a meeting with the United Nations. The Sudan problem, AU chairman Jean Ping said, has to be tackled taking into account its "global nature" rather than approach the crises in a "fragmented" way. Ping said the time had come "for all democratically elected institutions in Sudan ... to clarify their vision for the future of the country and take appropriate initiatives." The AU and the UN stressed "the necessity of reaching a political agreement before the referendum on independence in January 2011."