US envoy to visit Sudan for talks on Darfur
March 1, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — US President special envoy to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, is to arrive in Khartoum on Friday 2 March for talks on Darfur crisis, the official SUNA reported today.
The US envoy, who visits Khartoum for the third time since his appointment, would meet Sudanese officials in Khartoum and visit Darfur and Juba.
During his seven-day visit, Nastios would present some ideas to assist in solving Darfur crisis and susceptible to convince the non-signatories rebel groups to join the peace process.
The US envoy failed during his last visit last December to persuade the Sudanese president to accept the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the troubled Darfur region.
Natsios also expected to request Khartoum cooperation with the International Criminal Court. Washington said fully supports “bringing to justice those responsible for crimes and atrocities that have occurred in Darfur.”
The Sudanese government appreciates the US envoy for his reconciling approaches; whoever Khartoum has sharply criticized his trip to Beijing last January requesting China to put pressures on Sudan to accept the deployment of international troops in Darfur.
With the failure of Natsios efforts to gain Chinese support, and the demand of the ICC prosecutor to summonses to appear for two Sudanese accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, Khartoum seems less disposed to cooperate with the US Administration on Darfur.
(ST)