Sudan denies discussing hybrid force with UN Secretary General

By Wasil Ali

May 18, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan has denied that it held any talks with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the deployment of AU-UN hybrid force in troubled Darfur region.

An unidentified Sudanese official denied any contact with the UN Secretary General on the AU-UN hybrid operation in Darfur. He told the daily Al Rayaam newspaper on Friday that the last phone call between Ban and the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was “three weeks ago”.

Ban told Reuters television on Wednesday May 16 that he has a “firm agreement in principle between the Sudanese government and United Nations and African Union that there will be a hybrid operation, so therefore it is a matter of implementing this commitment.”. He added that he recently conducted a series of telephone calls with the Sudanese president on the issue.

The Sudanese official expressed surprise at the Ban’s statements and stressed that his government has never agreed to the AU-UN hybrid force. He added that the UN Secretary General’s statement is an attempt by him to “ease pressure on the UN to take other measures against Sudan”.

The official’s statements cast a deep shadow of doubt over the success of Ban’s attempt to get Sudan’s approval for a AU-UN hybrid force. The US has signaled its impatience with the fruitless diplomacy of the UN Secretary General. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed frustration over the global community’s failure to act against Sudan over the bloodshed in Darfur.

The U.K., France and the U.S. have met with the UN Secretary General last week to express their concern about the slow progress in deploying the UN troops as part of the second phase of the AU-UN hybrid force. Analysts say that Western nations are concerned that Khartoum is not serious about following through on its commitments.

(ST)