Sudan's Bashir "ready" to accept UN fact finding mission on Darfur, with conditions (AP)

According to an Associated Press report today via International Herald Tribune - Sudan president "ready" to accept U.N. mission on Darfur, with conditions - excerpt:

Sudan's president said Friday he is ready to accept a U.N. fact-finding mission to Darfur, although not some of the members who have been proposed so far. He also gave no ground on a proposed U.N. peacekeeping deployment for Darfur, likening those forces to coalition troops in Iraq.

Al-Bashir suggested that Sudan could accept more African Union peacekeepers - with U.N. support.

"With regard to United Nations forces in Darfur, we have already said 'no' and that would be valid also for the frontiers. But we accept the presence of African forces to control the borders with Chad and Central African Republic," he said.

For Darfur, "we have accepted a hybrid operation. What does that mean? It means that the base of this force would be African forces, with a strong logistical, human, technical and other support so that the African Union can maintain peace," he said.

Al-Bashir said the resolution, number 1706, "practically puts Sudan under trusteeship and gives these forces a mandate similar to that of the coalition forces in Iraq."

"We cannot accept that Sudan is put under trusteeship," he said.

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See Sudan's Plan for Darfur - Letter from UN's Ban to Sudan's Bashir Jan 24 remains unanswered