Sudan to clarify stance on Darfur ‘hybrid’ force

Dec 21, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has promised to define its position on the proposal for joint UN-African force to take over peacekeeping duties in the war-torn Darfur region, a UN envoy said.

“President Omar al-Beshir promised to provide a written response to the message I gave him” from the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, envoy Ahmadou Ould Abdallah told reporters Thursday without specifying a timeframe.

Annan said last month that Sudan had accepted a three-phase UN plan to support for the embattled African Union contingent that should eventually lead to the creation of a joint UN-AU peacekeeping force.

But a Beshir adviser reiterated Thursday that Khartoum had so far only accepted the first two phases, which provide for UN technical and logistical assistance.

“The talks were fruitful and broached the implementation of first and second phases of the UN’s support for the AU mission in Sudan, which we hope to witness very shortly,” Mahjoub Fadl Badri said.

Ould Abdallah was dispatched to Sudan by Annan on Wednesday in an attempt to break the deadlock between Khartoum and the international community on the peacekeeping issue.

The United States — which accuse Beshir’s regime of genocide in Darfur — nevertheless continued to pile pressure on Khartoum, threatening coercive international action should a deal not be reached by January 1.

According to the United Nations, at least 200,000 people have died of the combined effect of war

(AFP)