Sudanese ruling party vows to frustrate sanction attempts

KHARTOUM, Feb 7, 2005 (Xinhua) — Sudanese Secretary General of the ruling National Congress (NC) Party Ibrahim Ahmed Omar stressed here on Monday that the government would do its best to frustrate attempts to impose sanctions on Sudan.

Secretary General of the ruling National Congress party, Abrahim Ahmed Omer, in Sudanese national costume, walks with Sudanese First Vice President Ali Osman Taha (R), in Khartoum, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005. (AP).

Omar told reporters that Sudanese First Vice President Ali OsmanTaha would present the government’s stance on how to solve the Darfur problem to the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

Omar pointed out that the Sudanese government had decided to assume the stance at the five-way summit held in Tripoli last October, which was attended by leaders of Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Chad and Sudan.

Taha and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) leaderJohn Garang have been invited by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan toaddress the Security Council’s session Tuesday.

During the session which will last for two days, the council will discuss the arrangements to implement the peace agreement which the Sudanese government signed with the SPLM on Jan. 9 as well as the UN role.

“The UN secretary general’s call to impose sanctions on Sudan isbaseless and unjustified because he is not a president of an international government nor an executive authority,” said Omar.

“Annan might have been confused about the issue,” he said, expressing hope that the UN Security Council would listen to real facts on the issue and regard the efforts exerted to end the crisisin the region.

At the African summit last week in Abuja, Annan urged the UN Security Council to discuss the issue of imposing sanctions againstSudan because of the violations against human rights that allegedlytook place in Darfur.