--- Shocker. WASHINGTON (AP) -

--- Shocker.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department on Wednesday denounced Sudan
for barring American aid experts from inspecting the humanitarian needs
in western Sudan, where a conflict has displaced more than 800,000
people.
``This we view as unacceptable,'' spokesman Adam Ereli said. The Bush
administration has been ready to send a 28-member assistance team to
Sudan to evaluate the situation in the Darfur region. Government-backed
militias have fought insurgents there for more than a year.
Gotbi el-Mahadi, an adviser to Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, said
a high-level U.N. delegation that arrived in Sudan
on Tuesday to visit Darfur was all that was needed now. ``We do not
need such a (U.S.) visit at this time ... (while) a
United Nations delegation is to tour Darfur,'' el-Mahadi said,
according to a statement released by the official Sudanese Media Center.
How much do you wanna bet that the UN team never makes it out of
Khartoum, and if they actually do, their level of inspection will rival
that of the Red Cross when they visited Theresienstadt?