Sudan FM hails Rice’s visit, hopes for better relations

KHARTOUM, July 21 (AFP) — Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail hailed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit Thursday, saying she had been presented with plans to stop violence against women in Darfur and normalize relations with Washington.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is accompanied by Sudan’s Foreign Minister Dr Mustafa Osman Ismail, left, upon her arrival at Khartoum airport, Thursday, July 21, 2005. (AP).

“The government gave Mrs Rice two written notes. One is a proposal to stop violence against women in (Sudan’s western) Darfur and the second one deals with the necessary steps to normalize relations between the two countries,” Ismail told reporters after Rice met with President Omar el-Beshir.

“The government believes that the US secretary of state’s visit is a positive sign towards improving relations between our two countries,” Ismail also said after bidding Rice farewell at Khartoum’s airport.

He did not comment on scuffles that broke out as the meeting began at Beshir’s home Thursday morning, when Sudanese security agents forcibly blocked members of Rice’s delegation and US reporters from getting in before relenting under US protests.

Ismail called her later to apologize for incident,Rice’s spokesman Sean McKormack.

Rice also met with former southern rebel and now first vice president John Garang while in Khartoum, Ismail said. She later traveled to Darfur.

He said Rice, who arrived in Khartoum early on Thursday, had “suggested ways to end violence in the Darfur area and asked that the government exert its utmost to ensure security, stability and stop the crisis in that region.”

“She also asked that negotiations between the government and (Darfur) rebels resume earlier than the planned date of August 24 in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.”

Some 300,000 people have died so far in Darfur, mostly civilians, and more than two million displaced in what Washington has long labeled a genocide.

Ismail said Rice had “promised to study a government demand to lift US economic sanctions against Sudan.”

“She said the lifting of sanctions would be gradual.”

US officials, however, said Rice had said she would at look at the matter but gave no firm commitment.

The foreign minister said Rice had recommended using the January north-south peace agreement as a framework to solve the conflict in Darfur.

He said he had urged the United States to make good on its pledge at an April donor conference on Oslo to help finance South Sudan’s reconstruction.