LOC00:57
21:57 GMT
KHARTOUM, May 16 (KUNA) -- Sudan said Saturday it did not intend to sever
diplomatic relations with its western neighbor Chad following the latter's
three air raids on Sudanese areas over the last two days.
"There is no tendency among the Sudanese government to recall our
ambassador from N'djamena unless the Chadian government decides to the
contrary," Sudan's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ali Al-Sadeq told reporters here.
"Today our ambassador is there and he has not been notified of any decision
by the Chadian authorities," Al-Sadeq confirmed.
He made the remarks three hours after the third air raid launched by the
Chadian Air Force some 60 km deep inside the Sudanese territories.
The Chadian authorities said the attacks targeted the bases of Chadian
rebels in Sudan in response to the last week rebel offensive on Chadian forces.
Sudan did not lodge a complaint to the United Nations Security Council
about the Chadian aggression but preferred at this stage to brief the foreign
ambassadors and representatives of the international organizations based here
on the aggression.
The political leaders and the Ministry of Defense have the final say on any
further step in response to the Chadian aggression, the spokesman made clear.
"Sudan has committed herself to the provisions the Qatari-brokered Doha
agreement on normalization of relations with Chad as well as the previous
understandings.
"Yet, Sudan reserves her right to react in the appropriate time, place and
manner," the spokesman cautioned.
However, he excluded that possibility of waging a war against Chad at the
time being.
Al-Sadeq attributed Chad's reluctance to normalize the relations with Sudan
on the misconception that Sudan backs the Chadian rebel movements.
"If Chad had any evidence about Sudan's involvement in backing up the
Chadian opposition movements, it should promptly produce such evidence to the
international organizations.
"Sudan, on the contrary, has a lot of evidence about Chad's support to the
rebel Justice and Equality Movement and other rebel groups in Darfur, west
Sudan," he revealed.
The Doha agreement, signed on May 3, provides for military cooperation
between the two neighbors to prevent cross border infiltration by armed groups
opposed to the governments of both N'djamena and Khartoum as prelude to
normalization of relations. (end)
hha.gb
KUNA 170057 May 09NNNN