Michel denies apologising to Sudan

Louis Michel, the European commissioner for development, has denied he apologised to Sudan after the expulsion of a European Commission official from the country.

"At no point did I offer any excuses or bow the knee," he told MEPs during a development committee meeting this week (10 September).

Sudan said last month it had reinstated the official, Kent Degerfelt, after Michel apologised. "Sudan has accepted the apology of Louis Michel, the European development commissioner, to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over the actions of the European Commission envoy," foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadek said.

Michel said he spoke to al-Bashir on the telephone after Degerfelt had been expelled and told him the move was unacceptable. "There was no way I could accept a head of delegation being treated in that way," he told MEPs.

But Michel did acknowledge to al-Bashir that Degerfelt’s action in writing a letter to the security forces rather than the foreign ministry, protesting over the detention of an opposition leader, was out of line. "Without pointing the finger or blaming anyone I regret that the normal channels…through the foreign minister were not used," he said.

But Michel added that the action "didn’t objectively merit expulsion".

A Canadian diplomat, Nuala Lawlor, was expelled at the same time but has not been reinstated. A statement from Canadian Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier on 26 August said: "Canada condemns the government of Sudan’s decision to expel the chargé d’affaires as this expulsion is entirely unjustified and there is no question of Canada issuing an apology." Bernier also backed up Lawlor’s actions, saying that she was "acting in the finest traditions of Canadian diplomacy and was standing up for our values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Sudan".

Michel told MEPs that relations between Degerfelt and the Sudanese authorities had not been good for two years. He added that Sudan was a sensitive issue for the EU where diplomatic channels were important.

Degerfelt was reinstated until his mandate runs out at the end of the month.

Louis Michel, the European commissioner for development, has denied he apologised to Sudan after the expulsion of a European Commission official from the country.