Sudan suggests watchdog role for the UN force in Darfur

According to an unsourced article at the Sudan Tribune, Sudanese government yesterday said it would not permit the deployment of International force in Darfur under Chapter seven; instead Sudan proposes that UN force to have a watchdog role of the Darfur accord implementation. Excerpt:

Sudanese president advisor Gazi Salah Eddine Atabani said Sudan rejects the deployment of UN force under Chapter Seven and if "we decided to receive UN's Annan envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, it is just we want to determine with him the role of this force".

Attabani further added that Sudan want the UN force to have a "monitoring role" for the implementation of peace accord in Darfur to reinforce it.

Al-Khalifa suggested the planning mission for a force of around double the current 7,000-strong AU mission was unnecessary as an earlier AU technical mission "studied the situation in Darfur and there is sufficient information on what is now going on there."

Photo: UN Lakhdar Brahimi meets Sudanese presidential advisor on Darfur Abdallah Ali Masar in Khartoum, Sudan May 24, 2006 (Reuters)