Musharraf sends envoy with “special message” on Darfur resolution

ISLAMABAD, Aug 3 (AFP) — Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf dispatched a senior envoy Tuesday with “a special message” for his Sudanese counterpart regarding the UN Security Council resolution on the Darfur crisis, the foreign ministry said.

The message for President Omar Hasan Ahmad Al-Bashir concerned last week’s Security Council resolution on the crisis in western Sudan’s Darfur region, the ministry said in a statement.

The resolution warned Sudan to rein in its Janjaweed militia blamed for atrocities in Darfur, lift restrictions on humanitarian aid and facilitate access within 30 days or face “international measures.”

A 17-month conflict in Darfur between ethnic minority rebels and the Sudanese army with its Arab militia allies has left 50,000 people dead and displaced about 1.2 million, in what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the 15-member Security Council, was one of two members which did not back the resolution, despite the urging of council members.

Musharraf had urged UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell in telephone calls last week to find a diplomatic solution rather than threaten sanctions, the Pakistani statement said.

However the Security Council resolution made no specific mention of sanctions.

Musharraf last week telephoned Bashir and said commitments between the UN and the Sudanese government provided the framework for a “viable solution of the serious problems” in Darfur.

“During the past few weeks, leaders of several countries, including Sweden, Finland, Germany and the US, have requested President Musharraf to play a greater role in defusing the situation in Darfur,” the Pakistani statement said.

“The president will continue his efforts on the Darfur situation.”