US requests from Khartoum

The US delegate to Khartoum, Harry Johnston, stated on Wednesday in Cairo that the US administration had asked the Sudanese government officially to stop bombarding the civilians in the south and to permit the resumption of humanitarian aid.

Following his visit to Sudan by the beginning of this week Johnston said, "We made some remarks and expressed concern over violations of human rights, bombardment of southern Sudan and other issues."

He continued that in the "areas of human rights and humanitarian aid, the Sudanese authorities continue banning humanitarian aid flights and bombardment of innocent civilians in the south and violation of the Geneva Convention."

Johnston indicated that the Sudanese officials said "they will take our concerns into account, and therefore we have to wait and see what will happen."

Meanwhile, Sudanese dailies published on Wednesday said that a former member of the presidential council and current opposition member, Muhammad al-Hassan Abdullah Yassin, arrived back in Sudan after 11 years.

The dailies added that Yassin was welcomed by Sudanese Minister of Justice Ali Muhammad Othman Yassin and the advisor to the Sudanese president, Abdul Basset Saleh Sabedrat, at Khartoum airport.