The Sudanese government Sunday formally announced its rejection of any unilateral international measures to deploy buffer troops on the country's north-south borders before the south Sudan referendum slated for January 2011, Xinhua reported.
"Delegation of the UN Security Council (UNSC) did not proposed the issue of the buffer troops in its recent visit to Sudan," the Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding "the main item of UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) mandate...stipulates that the main task of the mission is to assist the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) partners to implement it," the statement added.
The ministry, in its statement, further warned of what it termed as "unilateral proposals that neglect the base of the agreement and hamper the spirit of cooperation which characterized Sudan's distinguished relations with the UN in the past period, which was acknowledged by all parties."
The statement said seeking to impose unilateral procedures in this respect would likely to lead to reverse results, send negative messages on the situations at Sudan's north-south borders and contribute to creating an unacceptable state of tension.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry urged all the international partners to abide by the main mandate of UNMIS and sincerely work to assist the CPA partners to reach a peaceful political settlement for their outstanding issues and completely implementing the remaining items of the agreement.
Some UN officials were reported earlier to have expressed the UN desire to deploy buffer troops on north-south Sudan borders to prevent any probable violence during the referendum.
The UN deploys around 10,000 peacekeepers to monitor the CPA, inked between north and south Sudan in 2005, which stipulates the conduction of a referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan on Jan. 9, 2011.