Sudan said on Saturday that it remains open to talks with the international community after UN chief Kofi Annan warned its leaders could be held accountable over the rejection of UN peacekeepers for Darfur. "Sudan did not close the door on dialogue with the international community" concerning the situation in Darfur, the spokesman of the Sudanese foreign affairs ministry, Jamal Mohamed Ibrahim, told AFP.The Sudanese official described as unjustified comments by the UN secretary general in New York on Friday about a possible deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Darfur. Warning that the situation in strife-torn Darfur was "serious and desperate," Annan said the Sudanese leadership "may be held collectively and individually responsible for what happened to the population of Darfur".
"The message I have tried to get to the Sudanese government is that the international community is not coming in as an invading force, but basically to help them protect the people," Annan said.
Sudan said Annan's remarks were based on an assumption that Khartoum wanted to remove African Union peacekeepers, leaving a lack of security for Darfur's people. "Sudan did not ask the AU to withdraw its forces and even if the African organisation decides to leave Darfur, there will be no security vacuum because the Sudanese government has its own plan to ensure safety in the area," said the foreign ministry's Ibrahim.
On Monday, the Sudanese government said it would ask the AU forces to leave by the end of the month if it could no longer continue its mission.