Sudan inches toward UN deployment in Darfur

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2007

KHARTOUM (AFP) — Sudan on Monday inched towards a reluctant acceptance of UN peacekeepers in Darfur, as a senior US official warned Khartoum it faces isolation if it blocks an international peacekeeping plan for the war-torn region.

The warning from US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte came as Khartoum finally announced it was accepting the second phase of the UN plan.

"We must move quickly to a larger, hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force with a single, unified chain of command that conforms to UN standards and practices," Negroponte told reporters as he wrapped up a five-day visit to Sudan.

"The alternative for Sudan is continued and possibly even intensified international isolation," Negroponte warned.

A three-phase plan...