Al Bashir Slams on Campaigners against Sudan, Reviews Political Developments By: Al Sammani Awadallah

By: Al Sammani Awadallah

At the press conference he held last Saturday at the Friendship Hall, the President of the Republic affirmed the government�s total rejection of calls for implementing a program analogous to the oil-for-food program previously executed in Iraq, highlighting the corruption that accompanied that process. The President criticized countries that have been attempting to reinstate Resolution 1706 and asserted that any attempt at issuing a Security Council resolution that reflects negatively on the recent Addis Ababa agreement will be strongly rejected.

He revealed that the dialogue with the field commanders of the Abuja non-signatory factions have covered considerable ground, underlining that several of these commanders were eager to reach peace without adding any political demands to the Abuja agreement. Referring to Minni Minnawi�s protest over the delay in implementation of the Abuja deal, the President indicated that the overall deal has been implemented except the items related to the construction process since this process is time consuming in terms of selecting companies to execute the projects. He added that the reconstruction fund has been provided with the amount of $300 million previously allocated for the fund, attributing the delay in expenditure to the procedures for processing that amount.

The President stated that Minnawi�s faction has received the greater share in the agreement, particularly in respect of wealth-sharing and the process of reintegration of forces which has now been accomplished by 50%. He said that Debi�s expected visit to Sudan was delayed because the Chadian President was conducting an internal tour of Chad and that functions of the ministerial committees have been completed successfully as the committees have prepared their final statement.

President Al Bashir further announced elimination of the misunderstanding between Sudan and Libya which arose following the Al Bashir-Debi talks in Riyadh culminating in Riyadh agreement.

At a different level, he asserted that there exists no intelligence cooperation between Sudan and Washington. He said that the so-called cooperation related to Sudan�s efforts to combat all types of terrorism inside the country, expelling all the elements that can form terrorist groups and blocking any aid that may be routed to terrorist groups. He stressed that those steps were taken because the government is convinced of the detrimental nature of those groups which is now all too evident in Iraq as those groups have become a nucleus for a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shi�as. He explained that, though intelligence services will inevitably maintain ties, Sudanese intelligence external cooperation was exaggerated by some circles, affirming that the CIA is fully aware that Sudan neither harbours any terrorist groups nor supports terrorism. He then renewed his determination to bar the deployment of international troops in Darfur.

President Al Bashir, while referring to the issue of forming a wise men committee for national alignment, said that the NCP has hailed the initiative and proposed its candidates for the committee, anticipating the other parties to do the same.

At a difference level, he pointed out that the NCP and the SPLM are about to reach a final agreement on the Abyei file.

Meanwhile, the President accused the deputy chief of USAID to Sudan, Roger Winter, of inciting the Darfur armed factions into rebellion against the government, pointing out that some countries have, following that incitement, extended political and military support to the factions.

President Al Bashir wondered on the dubious attitude of international officials visiting Sudan, citing the example of the US ex-Secretary of State, Colin Powel, who during his visit to Sudan acknowledged the absence of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the country, yet upon his return, he stated before the Congress that genocide and ethnic cleansing do exist in Sudan.

He underlined that the fierce campaigns launched on Sudan is a target to undermind foreign investment in the country by circulating scary reports on Darfur suggestive of insecurity in Sudan. He asserted that the Darfur region has now become almost totally secure with the exception of some pockets of trouble in some localities. After indicating the inconsistency of the American sanctions which came at a time when the government was engaged in signing agreements with the UN and AU, President Al Bashir stated that the sanctions had a visible impact on the railway and aviation sectors.

He disclosed that Khartoum is exerting efforts to ease off the tension along the Eritrea-Ethiopia border and defuse the crisis between the two countries, adding that Sudan had normalized all its foreign relations with Arab countries, particularly with Kuwait which displayed an understanding of Sudan�s stance during the Gulf war and consequently sought to normalize relations. One of the results of that process was the construction of Merowe Dam which has been financed by Arab countries and funds, the President said.

Al Bashir revealed that Washington for three decades has been drawing up plans and strategies to establish bases in three regions of the world, namely: Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. Though it succeeded in two of these regions, Washington has not managed to establish bases in the Middle East because of the sensitivity of the people of those regions to American troops, the President concluded.