President Blasts UN, Asserts Sovereignty
allAfrica.com NEWS November 27, 2006 By François Gouahinga Washington, D.C. Sudan's President Umar el-Bashir reiterated Monday in Khartoum his agreement to an international force in Darfur. Such a force, he said, could be composed of African Union (AU) troops or some hybrid combination of AU and United Nations (UN) soldiers. But their "helmets should be of green color, which belongs to the African Union." "Any support [along those lines] is welcome," he said. The remarks were made during a video conference in which el-Bashir interacted simultaneously with journalists in major cities around the world, including Pretoria and Washington, D.C. Earlier this year the UN Security Council issued Resolution 1706, which authorized the UN mission in Sudan "to use all necessary means" to enforce its mandate in its area of deployment. El-Bashir opposes this resolution, and instead calls on the UN to help fund African Union troops on the ground. "Rejection of the resolution doesn't mean that we reject cooperation with the United Nations," he said. The problem with a non-AU force, he said, is that it amounts to an unacceptable violation of Sudan's sovereignty. Sudan "should not be the first recolonized country under the banner of humanitarian action in Darfur." He added that AU troops in Sudan are in conformity with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, which grants regional organizations jurisdiction over conflict affecting their geographic areas. "The African Union is there," he said, "so why don't we have funding from the United Nations?" For el-Bashir, AU troops currently in Sudan will need only an additional two regiments to effectively carry out their mandate. That adequate funding has not been given by the UN shows that Western nations have intentions of their own. "Our conviction is that they have another agenda," he said. El-Bashir also denounced the Western media as being unfairly biased against his government. "The media is spreading false information," he said. "We are not saying that there aren't any IDPs [internally displaced people]," he said, "we can say right now that in Darfur there are only 5 [out of 22] localities affected by the conflict." "What has happened in Darfur is a traditional conflict that escalated," he said. For el-Bashir, the Abuja agreement remains the main framework of reference for all parties involved in the conflict. "If we implemented the Abuja agreement," he said, "we wouldn't need the current level of AU troops." Signed in May between the government and the main rebel group, the Abuja agreement set up a power-sharing agreement, and it also established a process of disarmament and reinsertion for former combatants. "We invite those who haven't signed the Abuja agreement to come to the negotiation table," he said. El-Bashir also denied involvement in the recent turmoil in the neighboring countries of Chad and the Central African Republic. He said he was "surprised" when the Chadian government issued a statement alleging Sudanese involvement. "We do not have a single element in Chad," he said. He blamed armed group in opposition to the Chadian government for the conflict there. "This is purely Chadian opposition," el-Bashir said. He said that these groups had taken refuge in southern Sudan, however his government asked them to disarm or leave, which they eventually did, sparking the wave of violence in Chad. "Once they entered Chad, it is no longer the responsibility of Sudan," he said. Meanwhile, the UN dispatched a fact-finding team to Chad and the Central African Republic to assess the security and humanitarian situation on their borders. Forward Ever (by any means necessary)! Karen C. Aboiralor __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Polls | Calendar Mwananchi is an open forum that discusses/updates you on the latest news in Africa. It is a group that is made up of 900 members worldwide. To join it simply go to http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/mwananchi You can also join a Kenyan community based group that is open to all. This forum has ngos and members that are networking on how to help communities in Kenya and the url is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kenyainternationalgroup You can also be added directly to any of the above forums by simply emailing chifu at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for your membership. Chifu Moderator Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe . __,_._,___
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