Official doubts Poland can afford to send observers to Sudan

WARSAW, Dec 20? 2004 (PAP) — The United Nations has asked Poland to examine the possibility of sending observers to Sudan, deputy Foreign Minister Boguslaw Zaleski told journalists on Monday.

The minister explained that the decision has not been made yet but he doubted whether Poland could afford a successive mission.

I can’t imagine that we could possibly afford the further enlargement of our mission as observers adding Sudan to Afghanistan, Balkans, Caucasus and Iraq not to mention the Golan Heights and Lebanon,” Zaleski said.

He explained that Jan Natkanski, who started a diplomatic mission to Khartoum in December will service Sudan from Cairo, where he is Poland’s ambassador.

The crisis in Sudan’s region of Darfur was sparked in February 2003 when two non-Arab African rebel groups took up arms to fight for more power and resources from the Arab-dominated Khartoum government.

According to the World Health Organization, disease and hunger have killed 70,000 in the Darfur region since March and forced 2m to flee their homes. The UN referred to the situation as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis after World War II.