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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 30, 2003

Sudan Releases Russian Helicopter Crew: Russian Foreign Ministry

The Sudanese authorities have released Russian helicopter crew, Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.


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The Sudanese authorities have released Russian helicopter crew, Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

"Moscow hopes that such incidents will not occur in our relations again," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the crew were freed from custody on Tuesday evening and were staying at the Russia's Embassy in Sudan's capital of Khartoum. They would soon return to Russia.

A new crew will be sent to Sudan and the helicopter will be allowed to continue its mission, the ministry said.

The Mi-26 transport helicopter on a UN humanitarian mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo was detained by the Sudanese military authorities in the city of al-Fasher last Monday, according to the Russian company that owns the helicopter.

The Sudanese military authorities claimed the helicopter was performing a military mission and that a permit to fly through Sudan had not been obtained with observance of the established procedure.

Russia has repeatedly called on the Sudan to release the helicopter and its crew. On Monday Russian Foreign Ministry again summoned Sudan's charge d'affaires to its headquarters and announced protest against "continuing" detention. Later on Monday Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov called his Sudanese counterpart and urged Sudanese authorities "immediately" release the crew.


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