Sudan rejects use of force by UN-AU Darfur mission

EL-FASHER, Sudan, July 22 (Reuters) Sudan today said it rejected part of a draft UN Security Council resolution that would give joint UN-African Union peacekeeping troops the right to use force in their Darfur mission.

The draft resolution introduced by Britain and France is aimed at sending 26,000 troops to Sudan's arid western region in a deal pressed on Khartoum after months of talks, threats and negotiations.

Interior Minister Zubeir Bashir Taha said Western governments appeared to have misinterpreted Khartoum's acceptance of the mission that would allow foreign troops into Sudan.

The draft resolution for the mission includes the UN's Chapter VII mandate which authorises ''all necessary means in the areas of deployment of its forces'' to protect its troops, secure a peace agreement and seize arms.

''We have reservations regarding interpretations made by other parties... regarding the hybrid operation,'' Taha told Reuters.

Asked if he rejected the UN's Chapter VII mandate, Taha said: ''Yes of course. That is a problem. There's no way they can enforce anything on us. This is a free state.'' Last year, Khartoum flatly rejected a different resolution, numbered 1706, which authorised around 22,000 UN troops with a strong mandate to take over from around 7,000 struggling African Union troops and police.

Khartoum agreed to a compromise for the joint AU-UN force.

More than four years since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against central government accusing it of neglecting the region, international experts estimate 200,000 have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes.

While Khartoum's consent is not needed for the resolution, member states fear the government could hinder deployment if they disagreed with the mandate.

Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman had said earlier that a compromise could be reached on the language of the mandate, declining to give details.

But diplomats say the United States will not back down on the Chapter VII mandate. Washington calls the violence genocide, a term Khartoum rejects and European governments are reluctant to use.

The 26,000-strong joint force aims to deploy by next year, but finding land to build their barracks is not easy.

REUTERS RJ RAI2211