Khartoum acknowledges balance of UN report on Darfur

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Sep 4, 2004 (PANA) — Notwithstanding criticisms against it
for failing to check continuing raids by the outlawed Arab
Janjaweed militias, Khartoum has admitted that UN envoy Jan Pronk
was balanced in his report to the Security Council, on the crisis
in Darfur, western Sudan.

Following the expiration of a 30-day notice that was served the
Sudanese government to contain the marauding Janjaweed and
improve security in the troubled region, the UN Security Council
met last Thursday to discuss Pronk’s assessment of the situation.

“Pronk’s report cited 10 points in favour of the government
besides two points in which he believed the government did not do
much. These were the disarmament of the Janjaweed militias and
realisation of security,” Sudan’s envoy to the UN, Al-Fatih Erwa
observed.

“We may differ with Pronk in some of what he said, but we do not
question his credibility,” the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) quoted
Erwa as saying in a statement.

Concerning Pronk’s call for an increase in size of the African
Union (AU) monitoring team and its protection force, he said
Khartoum has no objection to the idea.

The AU currently has about 80 military observers in Darfur,
protected by just over 300 soldiers, monitoring a shaky cease-
fire signed last April in neighbouring Chad.

Erwa particularly stressed Pronk’s acknowledgement that there was
no impediment to the delivery of humanitarian aid, and that the
actual problem now was a shortfall in relief supplies.

On Friday, however, Foreign Minister Osman Ismail said Khartoum
will not accept foreign peacekeeping troops in Darfur, but may
agree to have more ceasefire monitors deployed in there.

Meanwhile the US said has announced plans to introduce a new
resolution to the UN Security Council on the crisis in Darfur, in
the face of what Washington said was Khartoum’s failure to meet
its commitments on the crisis.

The State Department insists that the Sudanese government was
complicit in several attacks on black African populations there.

“The government of Sudan has not fully complied with UN Security
Council Resolution 1556 and it has failed to meet fully its
obligations to ensure the protection of its own civilian
population,” press reports here quoted US State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher as saying.

Meanwhile, peace talks continue in Abuja, Nigeria between the
Khartoum government and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)
and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), with focus on the
protection of people displaced by the 18-month conflict.