He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed the Sudanese mission in New York to grant the entry visa to the envoy of the international organization and the accompanying delegation. Jamal affirmed that there are continuous consultations over the available channels between the government and the organs of the United Nations for cooperation with the international community for implementation of Abuja agreement to contribute to the success of the humanitarian operations, rehabilitation and repatriation of the IDPs and refugees.
Annan ordered the mission two days after the U.N. Security Council gave the Sudanese government one week to allow military planners into Darfur. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the Brahimi mission signals an intensification of talks on transferring control of the African Union-led peacekeeping force to the U.N., following the peace deal, signed this month by the Sudanese government and the main rebel group in Abuja, Nigeria. "What they will discuss is what role the U.N. will play in Darfur in the implementation of the peace agreement," Dujarric said. "They are part of the preparation for the proposed transition. We have been having contacts with Sudanese government, both at the mission level here in New York, and in Khartoum, and we are trying to move the planning process ahead as quickly as possible."
U.N. diplomats have expressed hope that the Darfur peacekeeping mission could be transferred to U.N. control and more than doubled in size by later this year. The Khartoum government had earlier said it would permit the handover, once a peace agreement was signed, but, in recent days, has given conflicting signals about whether it would do so.
Sudan Tribune
