WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday the United States was committed to bringing Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir to justice.

"I can't take anything seriously that Beshir says," Clinton told NBC television's "Meet the Press" program.

"He is an indicted war criminal. The United States is very committed to seeing him brought to justice."

Beshir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur, was re-elected on Monday with 68.24 percent of the vote, the country's first multi-party poll in 24 years.

But the credibility of the election was undermined by opposition boycotts, allegations of fraud and questions from international monitors about transparency.

Clinton said "it was by any measure a flawed election.

"There were many, many things wrong with it," she explained.

"But there hadn't been an election in many years. And so, part of our goal was to try to empower opposition parties, empower people to go out and vote. Thousands and thousands did."

The White House has already said that the conflict in Darfur did not provide an environment conducive to acceptable polls.

Clinton said the administration of President Barack Obama was beginning to see "some slight progress in Darfur," but did not offer details.

"I don't want to overstate it, because it is still a deplorable situation," the secretary of state noted.

Obama announced in October that the United States would engage in more active diplomacy with Sudan's regime.

Washington would offer incentives for engagement but keep the threat of sanctions if Khartoum continued to pursue what the United States has termed genocide in the Darfur region.

A report released on Thursday by a group of eight NGOs warned that Sudan risked a return to violence if the Obama administration did not pressure parties on the ground to work for peace.

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