Sudan in Talks Over Return of Expelled CARE Envoy

Sudan is in talks with U.S.-based aid agency CARE on the possible return of its country director, who was expelled on Aug. 27, a Sudanese official said on Sunday.

Khartoum's decision to expel Paul Barker prompted criticism from the United Nations, which said it undermined an agreement on facilitating humanitarian activities in Darfur.

Barker was given 72 hours to leave the country after Sudanese officials said he had exceeded his humanitarian mandate and meddled in Sudan's internal security. Barker, a U.S. citizen, has denied carrying out any inappropriate work.

Humanitarian Affairs Minister Kosti Manyibe said the ministry was in talks with CARE about Barker's possible return, but said the issue would be discussed in more detail when the regional director of CARE visits Sudan in the near future.

"We are not just talking about the return, we are talking about the whole issue...and what we can do to ensure CARE operations here are not adversely affected," Manyibe told Reuters after a meeting with CARE on Sunday.

Barker said the talks were likely to be delayed because of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to Sudan, which begins on Monday.

"I'm encouraged that the government of Sudan is willing to consider my return," Barker told Reuters from Nairobi.

He said that government authorities had been dealing with CARE in a more positive light since his expulsion, showing more willingness to cooperate on work permits, an issue many aid agencies often have difficulty with in Sudan.

"I hope it means they're valuing the role that CARE has played in Sudan and I hope they're willing to take a fresh look at my situation," he added.

Barker said the reasons given by Khartoum for his expulsion were "based on misperceptions and misinformation".

He has said CARE had spent at least $184 million on aid projects in Sudan since it arrived in the country in 1979, and more than $60 million in the last three years, mostly in the war-torn Darfur region.

Sudan has accused other humanitarian and advocacy groups of serving a "Western agenda" to defame its actions in Darfur, where 4-1/2 years of violence has driven 2.5 million from their homes. International experts estimate some 200,000 have died since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in 2003.