Khartoum re-iterates its refusal for dispatch of international troops to Darfur, western Sudan

After noting here late last night that U.S. hails Sudan's willingness to accept UN force in Darfur we awoke this morning to find a second report that gives some credence to an earlier one by Kuwait News Agency (see below):

Report from Cairo (Reuters) by Mohammed Abbas May 7, 2006 via today's Scotsman - Sudan says undecided about UN peacekeepers in Darfur:

Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim [official spokesman of Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs] told Reuters media reports saying Sudan would welcome UN peacekeepers were untrue.

"This is not accurate. I don't know who made this statement. ... It has to come after an assessment by the Sudan government. If the need arises then Sudan may decide to do so. Otherwise no one has the right to impose foreign forces on Sudan," he said.

"The situation is, after the signing of the peace accord, Sudan may look into any proposals to helping prevent tragedy," Ibrahim said.

"In this context if there is any possibility for U.N. forces to replace the African forces already in Darfur, this is the decision of Sudan and it is not going to be imposed on Sudan."

He gave no timeline for possible troop replacement. Sudan has also refused to allow a U.N. planning team into the country to assess needs on the ground..

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Report by Kuwait News Agency - Khartoum re-iterates its refusal for dispatch of international troops to Darfur - May 6, 2006:

The Sudanese government on Saturday re-iterated its refusal for the dispatch of international troops to the Darfur region without its consent.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jamal Mohammad Ibrahim told reporters that the government alone has the right to evaluate whether the Darfur region is in need for other troops besides the current African Union troops.

He asserted that no party has the right to dispatch troops to Darfur without consent of the government, reiterating the government's adherence to the regional and international organizations particularly the decision of the African peace and security council which set September 30 as a final date for ending the African Union's mission in Darfur.

On the other hand, the Sudanese government announced that the government of the Netherlands has officially expressed its willingness to finance the Darfur Fund following the signing of the peace deal last night in Abuja.

UPDATE: May 7 2006 Sudan Tribune Sudan says no foreign troops without its consent - "The government will assess whether or not it will need the assistance of foreign troops and it may decide to ask for a UN deployment," foreign ministry spokesman Jamal Ibrahim said. "But such a decision is the prerogative of the government ... What is sure is that no foreign forces will come to Sudan without the consent of the government."

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