SA mediates in Sudan
2006-06-22 20:01
Johannesburg - Sudan has not shut the
door on deploying UN troops in Darfur, but Khartoum must be
consulted to allay its suspicion of the plan, South Africa said
on Thursday.
Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir told visiting South
African President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday it was out of the
question for UN troops to be deployed in the Darfur region of
western Sudan to replace an African Union (AU) force there.
Bashir spoke of a "colonial" agenda by the global body.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa's foreign minister,
told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Johannesburg
that Sudan's main complaint was that the UN had consulted
virtually everyone on the Darfur situation but ignored Khartoum.
"Khartoum's concern was that the UN had never discussed
the deployment with Sudan as a country. The UN talked to the
AU, to us, and to everyone else but not to the Sudanese and they
felt that was not right," Dlamini-Zuma said.
Sudan suspicious
"That was the cause of the suspicion by the Sudanese of what
the UN's motives might be. They are not against the UN but
they need to be convinced that the deployment is necessary."
Sudan has likened the deployment of UN troops in Darfur
to a Western invasion that would attract jihadi militants and
cause an Iraq-style quagmire.
But analysts say Khartoum objected because it feared the
soldiers would arrest any officials or militia leaders likely to
be indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
"Khartoum prefers that the UN finance the current mission
by the AU whose mandate can be changed into a UN mandate, and
there are provisions for that," Dlamini-Zuma added.
South Africa was keen that Bashir's government and opponents
in Darfur implement an agreement reached in Nigeria so Sudan
could focus on rehabilitation and economic growth, she said.
"The agreement in Abuja says nothing about making the
population suffer. All parties have to act to end hostilities so
people can live at peace again," Dlamini-Zuma said.
The United States and the United Nations have been pressing
for the UN force, arguing that the existing AU force of 7 000
does not have the resources to end three years of conflict in
Darfur, where more than 2 million have fled their homes.
Mbeki said on Tuesday South Africa wanted to see the UN
assist in a way agreed by the government and the African Union.
Bashir told Sudanese members of parliament on Monday that he
would not let UN troops deploy as long as he was in power.
Dlamini-Zuma said she was not suggesting that Bashir had
backed down from his stance, but said a major step had been
taken with his agreeing to talk to the United Nations.
"As we speak talks are going on and the subject is UN
deployment. That's an important step," Dlamini Zuma said.