On Monday Sudan announced the go-ahead for a brief visit requested by the United Nations (UN) for Jan Pronk, the special representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Sudan, who'd last week been expelled by Khartoum.

"The Sudanese government has officially notified the UN of its consent to the return of Jan Pronk to Khartoum as an ordinary person rather than the UN envoy," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ali al-Sadig told reporters.

He said Pronk would stay in the Sudanese capital "for a specific period of time just to hand over his duties to his successor before leaving the country once and for all."

"Pronk is not allowed during this period to meet with any Sudanese official, hold press conferences, receive international visitors or leave the capital to any area in Sudan," added al-Sadig. 

The spokesman further explained that the Sudanese government had received a request from UN chief Annan on Saturday to allow Pronk to return to Sudan for a few days to hand over his duties, collect his personal effects and depart.

Angered by an article penned by Pronk on his weblog earlier this month the Sudanese government ordered last Monday that Pronk leave the country within three days.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York on Friday that Annan had confirmed that Pronk would continue to serve as Annan's special representative in Sudan until the end of the year when his contract expired.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2006)