Annan looms of punishment measures against Sudan
Sudan-UN, Politics, 6/30/2004

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan remarked on the possibility that the UN Security Council will take punishment measures against Sudan unless Khartoum moves to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Darfour area.

Annan who is visiting Khartoum today, Wednesday, said in a press conference in Doha on Tuesday " in compliance of what we see on the ground, the UN security council will be obliged to take other measures, if this government is not willing or wishing to do that, the international community should do something towards that." Annan gave no more details and he also refused to define a timetable for Khartoum move, but said he will discuss the matter with the African leaders.

The US secretary of state Colin Powell arrived yesterday evening in Khartoum in a visit which is the highest to be carried out by an American official to Sudan since 1978.

Washington had threatened to impose sanctions against Khartoum because of the conflict in Darfour to the west of Sudan which resulted in killing more than 10,000 persons and displaced more than one million. The UN described the conflict which is been continuous since 16 months as the worst humanitarian crisis at the present time.

Meantime, the Sudanese authorities warned against the organization of any demonstrations coinciding with the visit of Powel. The state run al-Anbaa daily said on Tuesday " the security authorities decided to ban any demonstrations or trade union or people's aggregations during the visit of the UN secretary general and the US secretary of state." The organizers of the demonstrations said on Sunday that the objective behind the demonstrations will be protesting against the " US and UN double standard positions in the world especially in regard to the Palestinian- Israeli conflict and Iraq."

Previous Stories:
  Inter- Sudanese negotiations resumed   (6/28/2004)
  Al-Mahdi accuses the government of committing mistakes; American -Libyan co-ordination over Darfour crisis   (6/28/2004)
  Al-Gomhuri : Bashir: Joint history, geography compel Egypt, Sudan integration   (6/24/2004)
  European observers head for Darfour   (6/22/2004)
  UN threatens the use of force, Khartoum attacks relief organizations   (5/18/2004)
  Annan calls on al-Bashir to settle Darfour crisis   (5/15/2004)

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