President Donald Trump's senior Africa envoy, Massad Boulos, has rejected criticism that the US's latest proposal to end the Sudan civil war is biased.
The US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been attempting to mediate between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting for more than two years.
On Sunday, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the latest ceasefire proposal was unacceptable and future ones would be one-sided as long as the UAE was involved in the negotiations.
The Gulf state denies it is offering support to the RSF and on Tuesday Mr. Boulos said the bias Burhan spoke of was non-existent.
He was making reference to something that does not exist, that has never been presented by us. So we have no idea what he is talking about, the AFP news agency reports Mr. Boulos as saying while at a media briefing with UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.
In a video address on Sunday, Burhan said the latest peace plan proposal was the worst ever because it sidelines the army and allows the Rapid Support Forces to remain.
He accused Trump's adviser of attempting to impose conditions.
We are not advocates of war, nor do we reject peace, but no one can threaten us or impose conditions on us, he said.
We fear that Massad Boulos may become an obstacle to the peace sought by all Sudanese.
The US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and UAE - collectively known as the Quad - proposed a three-month humanitarian truce to the two sides in September. They said the agreement should be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a transition to civilian rule.
Last week, Trump said he would intervene to help end the war, which has forced 12 million people from their homes and caused what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
In recent weeks, reports of atrocities in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher have sparked international condemnation.
