May 1, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s foreign ministry rejected any extension of the mandate of United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) beyond next July without its approval.
On 27 April the UN Security Council decides to extend the mandate of UNMIS until 9 July 2011 and announced that it plans to establish a mission to succeed UNMIS.
The Council also asked Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, to submit a report by 16 May on the post-independence options for a UN presence.
The 15 members council motivated its decision by the recent fighting within South Sudan between the regular troops and rebel groups and the growing tension in Abyei area ahead of South Sudan independence next July.
"The renewal of the UNMIS mandate requires consultation and agreement (of the concerned parties)," said the spokesperson of the foreign ministry in Khartoum Khalid Moussa on Sunday.
He further stressed that the extension will not occur until after the end of the transitional period and the independence of the South.
Khalid went to speak about the circulation at the Security Council of a draft presidential declaration talking about the extension of UNAMIS mandate under Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter.
The Chapter Seven allows the Security Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace and security."
However, the Sudanese official went to remind that the UNMIS was established in 2005 under the chapter Six which requires the accord of the host country.
Atul Khare, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council recently that key elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement may not be resolved before 9 July, date of the South Sudan independence.
He further stressed these disputes threaten to pull the parties back into open conflict.
(ST)