New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Sudanese government on Wednesday to cooperate with the joint UN- African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur despite the arrest warrant issued against President Omar al-Bashir.

Fearing retaliation from Khartoum following the International Criminal Court's international arrest warrant for al-Bashir, Ban asked Sudan to "fully cooperate with all UN entities and their implementing partners, while fulfilling its obligation to ensure the safety and security of the civilian population, UN personnel and property, and that of its implementing partners."

Khartoum had threatened the entire peace process in Sudan led by the United Nations if the ICC were to seek the arrest of al-Bashir, who is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC at The Hague issued the warrant on Wednesday.

Ban said in a statement that he recognizes the authority of the ICC "as an independent judicial institution."

"The secretary general calls on all parties to work in good faith toward a political solution to end the conflict in Darfur," the statement said.

The joint UN-AU peacekeeping operation in Darfur now consists of more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel. A separate UN peacekeeping operation with about
10,000 troops has been monitoring the 2005 peace agreement between Khartoum and southern Sudan. (dpa)