Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly leaves Pacific early to focus on Sudan

Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly cut short a Pacific tour on April 21 to return to Britain and deal with the deteriorating situation in Sudan.

Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly cut short a Pacific tour on April 21 to return to Britain and deal with the deteriorating situation in Sudan.

Sudan's military ruled out negotiations with a rival paramilitary force on April 20, saying it would only accept its surrender as the two sides continued to battle in Central Khartoum and other parts of the country.

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The British High Commission said Mr. Cleverly had been dealing with the Sudan situation from its offices in Wellington by making a series of calls to key partners overnight. Mr. Cleverly left from New Zealand a day before he was due to meet with his counterpart, Nanaia Mahuta.

He'd arrived in New Zealand earlier than scheduled on Thursday on his first official visit to the country after skipping a planned visit to Samoa and flying in directly from the Solomon Islands.

“It's with real regret that due to the ongoing situation in Sudan I've had to cut the visit short," Mr. Cleverly said in a statement. “I've learned a lot about the region, its opportunities and challenges."

“I've spoken to Foreign Minister Mahuta and told her how disappointed I am to have had to leave early and we've agreed we'll reschedule as soon as we can," he said. “I'm very much looking forward to coming back soon.”