ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: Anti-Sudan forces are playing up the Darfur crisis to destabilise the ruling party and install an Iraq-like puppet government in the country to capture its rich oil and uranium reserves.

This was stated by Prof Abdel Rahim Ali, Chairman of the Shura Council, the National Congress of the ruling party in Sudan, here on Monday. Speaking at a press conference at the Sudanese embassy, he criticized the international community led by the US for what he called "total biased" opinion on the Darfur issue.

Prof Ali, who is currently visiting Pakistan, was accompanied by Sudanese Ambassador to Pakistan Daffa Alla Elhag Ali. "We are amazed and unable to understand the quick response of the UN Security Council to the Darfur crisis as if the issue was not settled immediately it would lead to some kind of international problem," he said.

"We are open to international observers as well as humanitarian aid agencies, who can come and witness what are the ground realities," he said. He explained that the problem in the western Darfur was originally of a tribal nature which had been aggravated by the competition for pastures whereby nomads moved north and south for water and fodder.

The conflict is not between Arabs and non-Arabs but it involves all elements of the local population. And there are precedents of such conflicts within the factions of the same tribe, Prof Ali added.

The conflict was further complicated by a certain level of polarization by political parities, which also served a serious blow to the social fabric in the region, he said.

Likewise, political instability in the neighbouring countries led to the influx of refugees into Sudan, resulting in the proliferation of weapons among the tribes. Moreover, there are inter-tribal relationships along the border between Sudan and its neighbours.

Similarly, like other parts of Africa, the phenomenon of armed robberies in Darfur has also contributed to the instability in the region, he said. In reply to a question, Prof Ali said the central government in the past had made efforts to contain such conflicts in Darfur by promoting reconciliations among the fighting tribes but, unfortunately, it could not succeed.

"What we can understand is that the world powers have something else on their agenda, which is not clear at present and they are using the issue as a pretext to put pressure on the Sudanese government," he said to another question.

He appreciated the government of Pakistan for supporting Sudan's stand on the crisis and hopped that it would help strengthen relations between the two countries.