Sudanese official questions intention of UN resolution

CAIRO, Apr 8, 2005 (Xinhua) — A senior Sudanese official questioned Friday the intention of a United Nations Security Council resolution on its western Darfur region.

Sudanese protestors hold a portrait of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and banners during a protest march in the capital Khartoum, April 5, 2005. (Reuters).

Mahgoub Fadl, advisor to Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, told the Cairo-based radio Voice of the Arabs that the resolution would not bring order to Darfur or provide a political solution to the conflict in the region.

The UN Security Council adopted on March 31 Resolution 1593 to refer war crime suspects in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The resolution was officially rejected by the Sudanese government as violation of its sovereignty, saying it “targets Sudan and its leadership.”

Fadl said the government would use all diplomatic and legal means at both regional and international levels to expose the ulterior intention of the UN resolution.

Thousands of people have been killed and over one million displaced since conflicts erupted in Darfur in February 2003 when local rebels took up arms against the government for neglecting the barren region.