Sudan refuses to meet US special envoy without agenda agreement
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December 11, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese government ruled out
receiving the United States special envoy Donald Booth again without
first setting a clear agenda for his visit.
JPEG - 19.2 kb
U.S. special envoy Donald Booth talks to reporters after a meeting
with the Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti (SUNA)
The head of the Americas Bureau at the Sudanese foreign ministry
Mohamed Abdullah al-Tom said in press statements that the US should
focus on issues such as lifting unilateral sanctions, removing Sudan
from terrorism list and debt relief.
Al-Tom noted that dialogue through diplomatic channels between
Khartoum and Washington has never stopped.
Asked whether Khartoum will reject the envoy’s visit in the absence of
an agreement on the agenda, al-Tom said that they will cross that
bridge when they get to it.
The Sudanese diplomat stressed that from now on there is no room for
the traditional visits and meetings with officials to talk about the
issues that were pre-agreed.
"What is required now from Washington is to address the concerns of
the government to reach at a relationship based on interests," al-Tom
said.
Last week, Booth arrived in Khartoum and met with the head of the
parliamentary subcommittee on foreign affairs, security, and defence,
Mohamed Al-Hassan Al-Amin and according to state media discussed
political and economic issues.
There were no indications that other meetings occurred with other
Sudanese officials.
Ashorooq TV reported that the US charge d’affaires Joseph Stafford
appealed to the Sudanese government to facilitate his visit which
comes "in the framework of peace efforts".
But al-Tom denied any mediation role by Stafford saying that the
latter’s work is to facilitate and arrange and not to mediate.
Khartoum has reportedly delayed granting a visa to Booth saying that
scheduling issues hampered their ability to arrange meetings for him
with Sudanese officials.
However, the Sudanese foreign ministry denied media reports that the
government has decided to suspend cooperation with him.
Last month, the Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti offered rare
praise of the US disclosing that it had played a significant role in
the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) recent resolution which kept
Sudan under agenda item 10 of technical assistance for another year,
despite attempts by some parties to move Sudan back to agenda item 4
of monitoring.
“If the US hasn’t cooperated rigorously and clearly with Sudan, we
wouldn’t have been able to move from item 4 to item 10”, Karti said
He thanked the US for its support, saying that Sudan must acknowledge
the US position on this issue irrespective of the nature of relations
between the two countries.
He said that the US role should help improving relations between Sudan
and South Sudan rather than complicating the situation, adding that
dialogue between the two countries should give priority to removing
Sudan’s name from the list of the states sponsoring terrorism and
lifting economic sanctions.
Washington imposed economic and trade sanctions on Sudan in 1997 in
response to its alleged connection to terror networks and human rights
abuses. In 2007, it strengthened the embargo, citing abuses in Darfur
which it says constitutes genocide.
In 2010, however, the US government announced it was easing sanctions
on agriculture equipment and services, which allowed half a dozen
companies to obtain export licenses.
Sudan has also been on the US list of states that sponsor terrorism
since 1993, even though the two countries have strengthened their
counter-terrorism cooperation since the September 2001 attacks on
Washington and New York.
Karti said he informed the US administration that reaching an
understanding between the two countries requires a clear vision on the
future prospects of relations, pointing to Sudan’s continued efforts
to normalize ties, despite the US decision to renew economic sanctions
for another year.
(ST)
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