Sudan 'to accept peacekeepers for Darfur'

Sudan’s ambassador to the US, John Lueth Ukee, said today that only minor issues stand in the way of his government’s acceptance of a 22,000-member UN peacekeeping force to be deployed in the violence-plagued Darfur region.

His comment contrasted sharply with a letter that President Omar al-Bashir had sent to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon earlier this month in which he rejected a significant UN troop commitment to Darfur.

“We have not backed down from what we said,” Ukee said, alluding to commitments the Khartoum government made in support of the deployment at two UN backed conference last November.

He said his optimism about Sudan’s acceptance of UN forces was based on discussions in recent days with top officials in Khartoum.

“The ministers said there are certain things we have to agree on that should be resolved in next few days,” he said, speaking at a forum sponsored by the Institute on Religion and Public Policy.

Bahsir’s letter to Ban caused consternation in the Bush administration, which has made the UN deployment a centrepiece of US policy towards Darfur.