By: El Sammani Awadallah
President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al Bashir, has restricted the movement of all the Americans in Sudan within geographical limits of 25 kilometers, as from the Republican Palace in Khartoum.
At a press conference he held Sunday evening at the Friendship Hall, President Al-Bashir said that the decision comes as an act of equal treatment that was made to him and the accompanying delegation during their recent visit to New York to participate in the meetings of the Peace and Security Council. President Al-Bashir said that any American official visiting Sudan will have his passport stamped and his movement restricted within the limit of 25 kilometers from the Republican Palace. He said that this measure will not be removed unless the relations between Sudan and the United States are improved. Al-Bashir pointed that the demonstrations organized in a number of American towns on the situations in Darfur during the convocation of African Peace and Security Council in New York recently were incited by the Jewish and Zionist lobby, indicating that Darfur issue has been utilized in campaigning for the American presidential elections in November. President Al-Bashir said that Darfur issue will be a stumbling block for anyone who wants to utilize this issue for reaching personal goals or in his election campaign. He also refuted the claims on continuity of the fighting in Darfur. There is no ongoing fighting there. But we will fight whoever holds arms or attempts to ruin peace in Darfur declared Al-Bashir, affirming that, the rejection of international forces deployment in Darfur was the Government�s Institutions own decision. Speaking in a press conference at the Friendship Hall in the night of Sunday, President Al-Bashir said the decision was unanimously issued by the Cabinet and the other government institutions. He praised the Sudanese diplomatic role in aborting Resolution 1706. We will not even accept its amendment, Reiterated the President, referring to Resolution 1706. He described the situation in Darfur as optimal and more than 80% of the region is completely safe and not as the gloomy image circulated through the foreign media. He further referred to Government efforts to rehabilitate the war devastated home areas so as to secure their swift IDPs return to their villages. Affirming the Government keenness on DPA implementation, he pointed to the issuance of the decrees pertaining to the establishment of Darfur Transitional Authority (DTA) and its relevant institutions and revealed his Government proceeding with the implementation of the DPA and establishment of its institutions. Al-Bashir stated that, signing of the DPA with the main faction is sufficient for peace realization. We will persuade the non-signatories to come on board he said. Al Bashir stated that the international community has been continuously questioning the material ability of the AU of preserving peace in Darfur, but following the Arab League pledge to provide AMIS with the necessary funds, that same international community resorted to casting doubt on the AU military capabilities. He noted that the Government resolution is to allow the AU forces to continue its mandate on Darfur and what is required of the international community is to support those forces logistically and materially, explaining that expanding the international forces mandate in South Sudan to cover Darfur should constitute a breach to the CPA as any modification thereto requires the consent of the two parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The President stated that current issue is not that of a party or a Government, but the issue is how to keep Sudan intact and call the political parties to assume strong stances, such as the patriotic one rejecting the international forces deployment. President Al-Bashir called on Eritrea to expel the elements of National Redemption Front as harboring them would contradict good neighborhood. We refuse any Eritrean role in Darfur issue, remarked Al-Bashir, affirming Sudan�s keenness to maintain positive relations with Eritrea. He further revealed that the Eastern Sudan Peace Talks is well on track.