Sudan describes UN chief’s explanation for phoning Bashir ‘absurd’

December 9, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government blasted the justification provided yesterday by the office of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for calling president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir over the weekend.

This is believed to be the first contact between the two men since Bashir was indicted last march by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the Darfur war crimes.

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) said Bashir discussed with Ban the general situation in Darfur and the nomination of the Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari as head of the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

The agency said that the UN Secretary General emphasized his support to president Bashir and “unrelenting backing” to him and Sudan to push the peace efforts and also thanked him for securing the release of the two aid workers kidnapped last August.

But yesterday the UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky suggested that the report on Sudanese media was overblown.

“The Secretary-General has made absolutely clear that this call was made purely on humanitarian grounds. You have two people, one of whom is now, as you heard really seriously ill, gravely ill. The Secretary-General wanted to make sure that all efforts are being undertaken in Sudan to try to secure the release of these two people, who are UN peacekeepers; AU-UN peacekeepers” Nesirky told reporters at the daily press briefing.

A Nigerian security officer and a Zimbabwean child protection officer working for the U.N./African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur were abducted by armed men on Aug. 29 in the town of Zalengi in West Darfur.

Ban’s call marked the 100th day since the kidnapping, which Khartoum has blamed on bandits seeking a ransom.

Nesirky confirmed that an advice given to Ban by his legal advisers that he should distance himself politically from Bashir.

“It’s absolutely right that there is advice to keep a distance, but it is absolutely vital to underscore that this is not an ordinary conversation. This was about a humanitarian intervention, and I think you need to see it in that context” he added.

A senior unnamed Sudanese official speaking to the independent Al-Ahdath daily described the explanation provided by Ban’s office as “flimsy and illogical besides being absurd”.

“Ban phone Bashir in his capacity as president of Sudan. If he did not call him with this recognition then why did he call?” the official asked.

“The reasoning given is a disregard to the norms and international conventions” he added.

Despite backing of Arab and African leaders, several officials particularly Western ones have announced that they will not hold contacts with the Sudanese president in light of his indictment.

(ST)