Egypt denies president Mubarak proposed Darfur no-fly zone

Dec 21, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Egypt’s consul-general in Khartoum, Ayman Abdelbadi dismissed as groundless statements by US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer in which she said that the proposal on enforcing a non-fly zone on Darfur was made by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Abdelbadi said that President Mubarak did not make any statements about the matter regionally, internationally or even domestically, the egyptian MENA reported.

Egypt’s consul-general in Khartoum said that Egypt’s stance on Darfur crisis is clear, adding that Egypt backed UN Security Council Resolution 1706 on the importance of Sudan’s approval of any decision to dispatch UN troops to Darfur.

The Egyptian diplomat denied that US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer had discussed the issue of enforcing a no-fly zone on Darfur with President Husni Mubarak.

The US embassy in Khartoum issued a press release in which it said that Frazer recently visit Egypt and Sudan and that President Mubarak had proposed the idea of enforcing a no-fly zone over Darfur.

(ST)