Sudan’s President Scoffs At Sanctions

Before thousands of dancing supporters, Sudan’s newly elected president scoffed Saturday at the threat of U.N. sanctions and promised to uphold Islamic law.

Thousands of Sudanese, many chanting, singing and playing drums, surged into downtown Khartoum on Saturday to celebrate Lt. Gen. Omar el-Bashir’s election victory, which confirmed him in the role he assumed when he overthrew Sudan’s elected government in 1989.

Addressing crowds at the Republican Palace, el-Bashir called himself the president of all Sudanese and said he would not allow the return of political parties, which were banned after his coup.

The elections came amid deepening economic problems caused in part by a 13-year civil war in the south and Sudan’s growing isolation from Egypt and its east African neighbors, which accuse it of supporting Muslim rebels.

The United Nations has threatened to impose sanctions over Sudan’s failure to turn over three suspects in the assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last June.