Sudan seeks UN clarification on Darfur troop takeover

Mar 6, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan on Monday asked the U.N. mission in Khartoum to clarify its position on the idea of replacing African Union forces in Darfur with international troops, an issue the government said was having a negative effect on the peace process.

Acting Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti met with U.N. representative Jan Pronk to inquire about the U.N. stance regarding “moves being made by some foreign powers with the view to impose the choice of bring international forces to replace the African Union forces in Darfur,” according to a ministry statement.

Karti didn’t name the “foreign powers” but was likely referring to the U.S., where the Senate on Thursday passed a resolution urging President George W. Bush to advocate sending North Atlanitc Treaty Organization troops to support the 7, 000-member A.U. peacekeeping force and for NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over the Darfur region.

But NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Monday he didn’t expect the alliance to deploy troops in Darfur.

Sudan has rejected the idea of non-African forces helping to restore peace in Darfur, where a three-year rebellion has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 180,000 people, mainly of hunger and disease, and the displacement of some 2 million others.

The A.U. mandate expires March 31. A ministerial meeting Friday is to address the possibility of handing over peacekeeping to the U.N.

The A.U.’s Peace and Security Council has recommended that the A.U. peacekeeping force be transferred to the U.N., partly because funds are running out for the A.U. mission. But the A.U. Summit in January declined to endorse the proposal.

Karti complained to Pronk that the foreign discussions were “having negative impact on the peace process on Darfur and cast doubts on the credibility of the U.N. and its independence in dealing with the question of Darfur.

“These attempts send negative signals to the Darfur rebel movements, pushing them to adopt yet more intransigent stands during the peace talks currently held in Abuja, Nigeria,” said the ministry statement, as quoted by the official Sudan news agency.

(ST/AP)