Sudan

Sudan has expelled the Canadian charge d'affaires and a European Commission envoy from Khartoum, accusing them of meddling in the country's affairs.

The Sudanese state news agency (SUNA) quotes a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ali al-Sadiq as saying Thursday that the two diplomats have been told they are persona non grata and must leave Sudan.

There is no word on the exact reason for the expulsions.

EU officials say they are trying to resolve the issue. Officials in Ottawa say they have asked Sudan for more details, since the Canadian diplomat, Nuala Lawlor was doing nothing more than promoting freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The United States says it hopes Sudan is not trying to sidetrack international efforts to end violence in Darfur, as it has done in the past.

White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe says Sudan has, in his words, "a history of doing this sort of thing to try and thwart the will of the international community."

The spokesman says the U.S. hopes Sudan is still planning to comply with the U.N. Security Council's decision to send a large joint United Nations-African Union force to the troubled Darfur region. Sudan agreed to accept the force after months of intense diplomatic pressure.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.