Expelled envoy 'invited back'
2007-08-25 17:10
Khartoum - Sudan said on Saturday it has invited back a European Commission envoy who was expelled a day earlier for "interfering" in domestic affairs, following an apology.
"Sudan has accepted the apology of Louis Michel, the European development commissioner, to Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir over the actions of the European Commission envoy," foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadek told AFP.
"After accepting the apology, Sudan has allowed the envoy to continue his work in Khartoum," Sadek said.
The envoy, Kent Degerfelt of Sweden, was ordered out along with Canada's charge d'affaires Nuala Lawlor after the government accused them of having unacceptable contacts with opposition leaders.
The foreign ministry refused to comment on Lawlor's status.
Earlier, the European Commission said direct contact between Michel and Beshir reversed the decision in relation to Degerfelt.
In an interview with French radio, Michel said after talks with Beshir, that Degerfelt had been expelled for a mistake in protocol.
The EU envoy had failed to go through the presidency or the foreign ministry before expressing concerns over the human rights situation in Sudan, Michel explained.
Change-of-mind 'encouraging'
The Commission said it was satisfied with the "positive outcome" of the matter, and considered the change-of-mind to be "encouraging" for EU-Sudanese relations.
"What is important is that diplomatic relations do not break down at time when the European Commission is playing such an important part in this conflict," Michel said.
On Thursday, Sadek announced that Sudan had declared Degerfelt and Lawlor persona non grata "because they interfered in Sudanese affairs".
Minister of State Ali Karti said the two diplomats had been holding what the government regarded as unacceptable contacts with opposition leaders.
"It is necessary now to send a clear message to whoever thinks that the kind of relationship between Sudan and the United Nations, and the international community in general, is that of submissiveness," he said.
As the European Commission scrambled on Thursday to "resolve the situation", Canada demanded an explanation from Khartoum.
"We have asked them why they expelled our charge d'affaires," said foreign ministry spokesperson Rodney Moore.
"Mrs Lawlor, in the best tradition of Canadian diplomacy, defended our values of freedom, democracy, personal rights and the rule of law," Moore told AFP.
The Sudanese foreign ministry said Khartoum was working hard not to let the incident hamper ties with the European Union or Canada although Khartoum has often had strained relations with Western diplomats.
In October 2006, it expelled UN envoy Jan Pronk for criticising its actions during the more than four-year conflict in Darfur.
Sudan's decision to expel the diplomats drew sharp criticism from Washington which said it hoped Sudan was not attempting to sidetrack international efforts to end the violence in the war-torn region of Darfur.
"The Sudanese have a history of doing this sort of thing to try and thwart the will of the international community," White House spokesperson Gordon Johndroe said.
"I hope that that would not be the case today with these expulsions, and hope that they are still planning on complying with their obligations to the UN Security Council," Johndroe told reporters.