SUDAN: South African President optimistic on standoff between Sudan and the international community

South African President Thabo Mbeki expressed optimism on Wednesday (April 11), towards the future resolution of the stand-off between Sudan and the international community over Sudan's objection to the deployment of UN troops in the war-torn Darfur region. The South African president was speaking at a joint news conference in Khartoum with his Sudanese counterpart Omar el-Bashir after talks between the two leaders, which focused on the conflict in Darfur and implementation of the north-south peace deal. "Agreement has been reached on almost all questions," Mbeki said. "So there are some final negotiations that will take place between the United Nations, the African Union and the Sudanese government and I am quite confident that those matters will be resolved. It's really matters of detail. The overall framework has been agreed," Mbeki added. At the heart of the debate is the outcome of a November meeting in Addis Ababa. Khartoum has already rebuffed international demands to allow the deployment of a larger U.N. force, arguing that world body support for the under-funded and ill-equipped AU force of 7,000 troops will be enough to stabilise the region. Western nations say Sudan agreed at the AU in November to a three-phase peacekeeping plan, which would end with a hybrid U.N.-AU force of 22,000 troops. The second phase, known as the heavy support package, was envisioned to provide funding and about 3,000 U.N. military logistical personnel to back the AU. The AU would remain in charge and have the only active peacekeepers on patrol. But Khartoum said it only agreed to the first two parts, and not even to all of the details of those. The AU last week said it must have help policing Darfur, where violence has persisted despite a 2006 peace agreement between the government and one rebel faction.

ITN Source | April 12, 2007

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