Arabs reject Western intervention in Darfur

CAIRO – Sudan’s government has approved a plan drawn up with a UN envoy for restoring peace in Darfur, state-run media said yesterday, after Arab countries meeting here opposed any Western military intervention but also pinned blame on Khartoum.

After an extraordinary meeting on Sunday at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, foreign ministers in a final resolution rejected the threat of sanctions against Khartoum. They opted instead to support the efforts of the African Union (AU) to defuse the humanitarian crisis in Darfur where rebels mounted an armed revolt against the government in February 2003.The Arab League called on its African members Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia to join an AU mission set up in Darfur to monitor a ceasefire agreed between the government and rebels in April.They would also join a protection force for the observers.The AU has said it could deploy up to 2 000 troops in Darfur, but Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail has ruled out the observer mission being turned into a peacekeeping force.”The security of Darfur is the responsibility of the Sudanese government alone,” he said, announcing that Sudan had 40 000 troops deployed in the troubled region.In Khartoum, state-run media reported yesterday that the government had approved an action plan drawn up by Ismail and UN envoy Jan Pronk for restoring peace in Darfur by setting up safe areas.The plan, to be implemented within 30 days in line with a UN Security Council resolution, calls for Khartoum to secure specific villages and camps, as well as to set up safe access routes and escorted convoys.The government on Sunday confirmed it was ready to hold peace negotiations with the Darfur rebels in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on August 23, said Al-Anbaa, an official daily in Khartoum.- Nampa-AFPThey opted instead to support the efforts of the African Union (AU) to defuse the humanitarian crisis in Darfur where rebels mounted an armed revolt against the government in February 2003.The Arab League called on its African members Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia to join an AU mission set up in Darfur to monitor a ceasefire agreed between the government and rebels in April.They would also join a protection force for the observers.The AU has said it could deploy up to 2 000 troops in Darfur, but Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail has ruled out the observer mission being turned into a peacekeeping force.”The security of Darfur is the responsibility of the Sudanese government alone,” he said, announcing that Sudan had 40 000 troops deployed in the troubled region.In Khartoum, state-run media reported yesterday that the government had approved an action plan drawn up by Ismail and UN envoy Jan Pronk for restoring peace in Darfur by setting up safe areas.The plan, to be implemented within 30 days in line with a UN Security Council resolution, calls for Khartoum to secure specific villages and camps, as well as to set up safe access routes and escorted convoys.The government on Sunday confirmed it was ready to hold peace negotiations with the Darfur rebels in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on August 23, said Al-Anbaa, an official daily in Khartoum.- Nampa-AFP