UNITED NATIONS, April 10 (UPI) -- Diplomatic pressure on Sudan is rising over its conflict-torn western region of Darfur as reports increase of violence expanding beyond its borders.
A Beijing delegation visited Khartoum last week, while South African President Thabo Mbeki stopped Tuesday and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte plans to visit later this week. The latest clash was reported by Khartoum to have occurred over the weekend when troops from its western neighbor Chad chased rebels into Sudan. It followed reports last month of related clashes in southeast Chad and just updated Tuesday to say as many as 400 lives may have been taken, the United Nations said.
China, South Africa and the United States queued for Khartoum visits and a chance to discuss with Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir deployment of a hybrid African Union-U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur as agreed March 28 on the sidelines of the League of Arab States Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In the past, Bashir endorsed accords for the hybrid force of about 20,000 peacekeepers authorized by the U.N. Security Council in an attempt to halt the four years of violence that have led to the deaths of more than 200,000 people and the displacement of another 2 million. But when it came to actual deployment, Bashir balked.
A high-level technical meeting of the African Union, Sudan and the United Nations was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday to discuss "clarifications" on the AU-U.N. force and a heavy support package.
"There remains, however, one important item on which the Sudanese delegation will further consult and hopes to provide a positive and expeditious response," said a joint statement Monday. However, the session had been expected to clear up all outstanding technical issues related to the heavy support package.
A spokeswoman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at U.N. World Headquarters in New York Tuesday, Marie Okabe, said she understood the problem was over tactical attack helicopters and was expected to be resolved by next week.
"The meeting recognized that the heavy support package was designed at the African Union's request in order to provide direct support to the African Union Mission in Sudan in the implementation of its mandate and the Darfur Peace Agreement" reached in Addis Ababa, Nov. 16, 2006, and endorsed by the African Union Peace and Security Council Nov. 30 in Abuja, Nigeria, the communiqué continued.
The meeting Monday agreed to "move forward expeditiously" with implementation of the package with "full transparency and the cooperation of all the parties," it added.
The discussion, which took place "in a constructive manner and in an atmosphere aimed at moving ahead expeditiously," was to continue at U.N. World Headquarters in New York at a meeting of the secretary-general and AU Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare April 16-17.
The Beijing People's Daily Online said China's Special Envoy Zhai Jun visited last week "to get acquainted with the situation."
He was told by South Darfur Gov. Al-Haj Idris if the government agrees on the deployment, it would lead to a disaster in the region because some tribes would take arms not only against the U.N. forces but also against the government, People's Daily Online said.
Idris added the only way to solve the crisis was dialogue, calling on the international community to push the rebel movements not signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement to join the peace process, the site said.
The U.N. Mission in Sudan reported a slight decline last month in hostilities in Darfur between government and rebel factions not signing the DPA. There also were no reports of Khartoum conducting air raids, either.
"However, ground attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces and armed militia continued, particularly in areas of suspected rebel concentration," UNMIS said, particularly several times against the Sudan Liberation Movement/Minni Minnawi faction. There also were persistent tribal clashes.
Mbeki, one of the most respected leaders in Africa, also was believed to be putting pressure on Bashir during his visit to implement the previous accords.
Negroponte was expected to deliver a tough message, saying U.S. President George W. Bush, apparently losing patience at the foot-dragging, wanted to see some positive action, and there was a clamor for tougher sanctions against Sudan.
Bashir has voiced fears a U.N. force would be a violation of his nation's sovereignty and would be tantamount to "recolonialization" of the north-central Arica nation.
