Sudan summons UK, US envoys to explain detention of diplomats aboard UNMIS flight Article Comments (0) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 17, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday summoned the UK and US envoys in Khartoum to explain the brief detention of their subordinates in Juba by the country’s army in an area located on the ill-defined borders between north and south Sudan, Sudan official news agency, SUNA, has reported. UNMIS Helicopter in South Sudan capital Juba (UN Photo/Tim McKulka) As recounted by SUNA, Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) on Friday impounded a helicopter belonging to the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS) as it landed “without permission from the authorities” in Al-Magennes area, a contested area located on the borders between north Sudan’s White Nile and South Kordofan State and South Sudan’s Upper Nile State. The UK consul in Juba and the political officer of the US consulate in Juba happened to be among the passengers of UNMIS flight and were, therefore, detained and transferred to Khartoum, SUNA reported. The news agency went on to say that Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs on Thursday summoned Nickolas Kay, UK ambassador in Khartoum, and Robert Whitehead, Chargé d’ Affaires of the U.S embassy in Khartoum, to explain that UNMIS flight had arrived in the area without “following the standard procedures of obtaining a permission from the authorities.” The undersecretary of the ministry of foreign affairs held UNMIS responsible for “its error which resulted in impounding the flight and its passengers pending investigations into the nature of the mission it was conducting in the area,” as quoted by SUNA. An official from the US embassy in Khartoum has declined to comment on the issue when reached by Sudan Tribune, saying that the dispute involves UNMIS not the embassy. Attempts to reach UNMIS for comment were not successful. However, the Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Martin Nesirky, said on a press conference in New York on Friday that the helicopter had obtained flight clearances from the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
