UN chief ‘expresses support’ to president Bashir – Sudan state media

December 6, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon phoned Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to convey to him the nomination of the Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari as head of the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan official news agency reported today.

Bashir was quoted by SUNA as approving of Gambari and instructing all government agencies to cooperate with Gambari and facilitating his mission noting that the Nigerian figure enjoys deep and comprehensive knowledge of Sudan.

This is believed to be the first contact between the two men since Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Darfur last March.

Last year it was reported that UN legal advisers called on Ban to distance himself from the Sudanese president in light of the arrest warrant issued for him.

SUNA said than Ban and Bashir discussed deployment of UNAMID as well as security and humanitarian situation in Darfur. The Sudanese president informed him of growing trend of voluntary repatriation that contributed to a return to normality in Darfur.

The UN Secretary General emphasized his support to president Bashir and “unrelenting backing” to him and Sudan to push the peace efforts, SUNA said, and also thanked him for securing the release of the two aid workers kidnapped last August.

Ban also voiced regret over the attack that killed five Rwandan peacekeepers in Darfur this weekend and Bashir assured him that his government is working diligently to arrest the attackers.

(ST)