Britain dismayed by Sudan reply to UN peacekeepers

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 13 (Reuters) Britain Monday today called a letter from Sudan's president contesting a plan for UN peacekeepers in Darfur ''a major setback'' that the UN Security Council needed to discuss.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan Bashir, in a letter on Thursday, objected to indications that the United Nations would share control with the African Union, which has 7,000 underfinanced troops in Darfur, and offered further talks.

Bashir's letter dashed hopes UN peacekeepers could be deployed soon, even in auxiliary functions in Darfur, where at least 200,000 people have died, 4 million need emergency aid and 2.5 million are in makeshift camps.

''The letter is very disappointing,'' British UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said. ''It's a major setback, and is tantamount to a requirement for a renegotiation of some of the points in the ... package.'' Security Council members intend to review the letter this week and Britain as well as other Europeans favor sanctions against Sudan, which Russia and China are expected to oppose.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Bashir on Saturday to inform him of his choice for a special representative for Sudan, which diplomats said was expected to be Congo's foreign minister, Rodolphe Adada, along with a Nigerian as commander of the joint force.

Bashir was responding to a Jan 24 letter from Ban, which spelled out plans for an interim ''heavy package'' of some UN 3,000 personnel, mainly engineers, logistics and medical units as well as helicopter pilots. That group would plan for a larger African Union-UN operation of more than 22,000 troops and police.

In his letter, the Sudanese leader based most of his objections on provisions in the Darfur Peace Agreement, negotiated between one rebel group and the Khartoum government last May. But Bashir barely touched on a deal negotiated in Addis Ababa on Nov. 16 that was then endorsed by Sudan at an African Union meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, two weeks later.

China's UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, noted yesterday that Sudan had agreed at the meeting in Addis to a three-stage plan.

Wang, who attended that meeting, was reported to be instrumental in getting Khartoum's agreement.

The first stage of the UN proposals, called a ''light support'' package is nearly complete. But the second stage of 3,000 UN personnel has been delayed for weeks while Ban awaited Bashir's reply. The third stage is a large force.

''Last year, in Addis, the understanding is clear that we are committed to this,'' Wang said. ''So therefore, it seems that there are some miscommunications and misunderstandings.'' The United Nations has chosen an African commander but needs to have some jurisdiction over the force if UN member countries are expected to pay for it. The world body will also have to turn to other nations if not enough African infantry can be recruited.

Alejandro Wolff, a US ambassador, said he was still studying Bashir's letter but was not surprised.

''I've been saying all along we take one step forward and 1-1/2 steps back,'' Wolff said.

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