Sudan has agreed to review the overall package the United Nations has proposed for easing the violence in Darfur, the minister of state for foreign affairs said on Friday. Ali Karti said an agreement announced at an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia marked "progress" because Sudan was now open to discussion on UN Security Council resolution 1706 authorizing the deployment of UN troops to the troubled Darfur region, where African Union (AU) troops have had little impact.
"This is a breakthrough because we have agreed to sit down and discuss the mandates in 1706," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"We are open to sitting down and discussing the overall package in Darfur, not just UN troops but everything," Karti added, saying the review would include a "heavy support package" such as planes.
The resolution calls for 22,500 UN troops and police officers to support the 7,000-member AU force in Sudan.
In Geneva, the United Nations' top human rights body on Friday kept up the pressure on Sudan over Darfur, but stopped short of blaming Khartoum for widespread killings and rape in its vast western region.
A resolution, passed unanimously by the 47-state Human Rights Council, expressed deep concern at the "seriousness of ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur."
The text, agreed after days of hard wrangling between European and African states, instructed Council special investigators into abuse, including torture and violence against women, to scrutinize Khartoum's compliance with past international recommendations and report back in June.
"The decision is a success for the European Union, it is a success for Africa, it is a success for the Human Rights Council and we hope very much that it will be a success for the people of Darfur," said Ambassador Michael Steiner of Germany, whose country holds the presidency of the EU.
Among the documents to be considered by the monitoring team will be a report by a mission of inquiry submitted to the Council earlier this month accusing Khartoum of "orchestrating and participating" in systematic violations of humanitarian law.
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir Bashir has rejected the UN resolution as an attempt to restore colonial rule, but has welcomed the world body's support for the ill-equipped AU force.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said at an Arab summit in Riyadh on Thursday that Sudan has agreed to allow UN logistical support to help the AU mission.
Before the Saudi announcement, US officials from the State, Defense, Treasury and other departments had told Reuters that Washington would "tighten the screws" on Sudan with fresh measures, likely within days.
Karti, a member of Bashir's ruling National Congress Party, dismissed the US plan.
"Sanctions are not new. They have been using sanctions as a weapon for years. They will not change anything and we will just go on. It is just unfortunate that instead of being positive at a time when we are trying to reach a comprehensive peace they are talking about negative steps," he said. "This will only hurt our efforts." - Reuters
Source: The Daily Star