http://demagogue.blogspot.com/2004_05_16_demagogue_archive.html#1084976262 63713774
The Bush administration moved one step closer Tuesday to lifting an arms embargo against Sudan, even as it decried the government's role in blocking relief efforts for a huge humanitarian crisis sparked by continuing Sudanese military attacks against civilians. Secretary of State Colin Powell removed Sudan from a list of countries that cannot receive U.S. arms because they have failed to cooperate with the U.S. on international terrorism. He formally notified Congress of that decision with the publication Tuesday morning of a notice in the Federal Register. ... Department spokesman Richard Boucher defended the U.S. decision to improve relations with Sudan by removing its name from the terrorism list even in the face of the government's actions in Darfur. "If they do cooperate against terrorism, it's good for us to show that that leads to a beneficial change," Boucher said. "That's the encouragement for other countries to cooperate against terrorism." He also said the move "doesn't change the kind of pressure that we're bringing on Sudan, the strong pressure we're bringing on Sudan, from us and others in the international community, to change their behavior in Darfur." But Jemera Rone, a Human Rights Watch official who has worked on the Darfur situation, said it was "just appalling" for the U.S. government "to make any gesture toward Sudan like this." She also predicted the Sudanese government would hold it out to critics as "some sort of U.S. stamp of approval" for its actions. ------ I Pledge Impertinence to the Flag-Waving of the Unindicted Co-Conspirators of America and to the Republicans for which I can't stand one Abomination, Underhanded Fraud Indefensible with Liberty and Justice Forget it. -Life in Hell (Matt Groening)
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