The special envoy of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to Sudan, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, Wednesday started consultations with Sudanese officials over the developments of Sudan's restive western region of Darfur.

After talks with Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti, the UN envoy told reporters that he conveyed a message from Annan to Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir during their talks.

He added that his visit to Sudan came in the context of the consultations between the UN and the Sudanese government on Darfur issue.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry Ali Al-Sadik also confirmed the consultation framework between the UN and the Sudanese government, saying that the visit of the UN envoy came following a recent telephone contact made by Annan and Sudanese president.

The UN envoy, who arrived here early Wednesday, is expected to meet other Sudanese officials besides Karti to discuss the plan of mission transfer from the African Union (AU) to the UN in Darfur.

However, it is unlikely to change the mind of the Sudanese government, who has rejected the transfer by saying that it would lead to the re-colonization of the country.

At a press conference in New York on Tuesday, the outgoing UN secretary general also expressed his worries over the situations in Darfur.

"I'm particularly anxious that there will be no break in our handling of the continuing crisis in Darfur," said Annan.

Source: Xinhua