THE HAGUE, April 8: Sudan has failed to issue a visa for Dutch Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop, forcing him to cancel a visit to Dutch UN employees in the war-torn southern province of Darfur, his ministry said on Tuesday.

“We can confirm that the visa was not delivered, therefore the minister decided to postpone his journey,” said a spokesman.

No explanation was given, but the Dutch press led by the newspaper Volkskrant said the Sudanese government was reacting to a controversial anti-Islam film made by a right-wing Dutch parliamentary deputy that appeared on the Internet last month.—AFP