Sudan refuses visa to ex-German state-minister of foreign affairs

March 15, 2008 (BERLIN) – Sudan has refused to deliver an entry visa to a former minister of state in the German foreign ministry, Kerstin Muller.

Muller, who was the first high ranking German official to visit Darfur IDPs camps in July 2004, was very critical to the Sudanese government policy in the war-torn region.

According to reports by the Greens Bundestag group, the Sudanese government refused Kerstin Mueller (Alliance 90 / The Greens), a visa to enter the country.

Together with deputies of other parliamentary groups, Mueller wanted to start a delegation trip to Sudan and Ethiopia on Saturday 15 March, Greens Deputy Group Chairman Juergen Trittin reported in Berlin on Friday.

The Sudanese embassy in Berlin delivered an entry visa to all the member o the parliamentary delegation last Monday February 10. But Muller’s application was turned down without explanation despite the intervention by the German foreign ministry and the German parliament.

The German parliamentarians cancelled their trip to Sudan to protest against the rejection of the Sudanese government to allow Muller to visit the country with the other MPs.

From October 2002 to November 2005, Kerstin Muller was the Minister of State in the German Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

(ST)