Sudan welcomes US special envoy’s visit
Oct 5, 2006 (KHARTOUM) -– In a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thursday, Sudan welcomed the visit of the US president special envoy to Sudan,. Saying will grant a visa to Andrew Natsios.
Saying no visa was denied as it was alleged by the US State Department, the statement accused Democrat lawmakers in the US Congress of instigating a hostile policy against Khartoum.
The statement called on the U.S. envoy to focus his mission in Sudan on supporting “the Darfur Peace Agreement” which the Sudanese government signed with a main Darfur group in May. It also asked the U.S. envoy to recognize the basic role of the African Union, address the issues of development and rehabilitation in Darfur and rectify the negative impact of past UN resolutions.
The Sudanese foreign ministry described the statement of the U.S. State Department as “an attempt to pre-empt and sabotage the mission of the U.S. Envoy to Sudan before taking off.”
The U.S. State Department said on Friday that Khartoum had been balking at giving a visa to Natsios, the former head of the U.S. Agency of International Development, who was appointed to the current post on Sept. 20. It also accused the Sudanese government of restricting the movements of U.S. diplomats in Sudan.
The following is the text of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry statement: –
“With reference to the statement made by the spokesperson of the US State Department on 29 September 2006 that the Sudanese Authorities did not grant visa to the US Envoy to Darfur Mr. Andrew Natsios, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan wishes to clarify the following:
1. At the time the captioned statement was made no request for visa to enter the Sudan was ever submitted by the said US Envoy who, according to one of his assistants, was not yet issued a passport as an Envoy. Accordingly, no visa was denied. The ministry views such a statement as an attempt from within the US State Department to pre-empt and sabotage the mission of the US Envoy to the Sudan before taking off. The article published by the Washington Post on Monday October 2nd. 2006 by Susan Rice, Anthony Lake and Donald M. Payne is a very clear manifestation of the influence of the Democrats over the US State Department policy under Condoleezza Rice towards the Sudan and the situation Darfur in particular.
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan reminds that the failed US hostile policy against the Sudan was not started by the current US Republican Administration, but by those very Democrats who were the architects of this hostile policy against the Sudan when they were in office a few years ago. The Ministry regrets that such a statement would only complicate the issue and can only contribute to more suffering of our citizens in Darfur. It also reflects the influential interference of the democrats as well as the disharmony within the US State Department in handling the situation in Darfur. The Ministry calls for rectification of this situation.
3. The Ministry welcomes the mission of the US Envoy provided it is a constructive mission based on a constructive program. The mission should aim at supporting the Darfur Peace Accord, recognize the basic role of the African Union, address the urgent issues of development and rehabilitation in Darfur, revise and correct the negative impact of past UN resolutions, and remedy the situation of bilateral relations between the United States of America and the Republic of the Sudan through the lifting of US sanctions. The Ministry looks forward for a constructive dialogue that would yield positive results that would foster the peace process in Darfur. The US Envoy would be granted visa to the Sudan, and his mission would be facilitated in accordance with the recognized diplomatic customs and practices.
4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Sudan also welcomes the recent support package made by the United Nations to the African Mission in Sudan, and calls upon the United Nations and the International Community to continue extending their support to the African Mission in the Sudan (AMIS) in full recognition of the Darfur Peace Accord and until all the tasks, duties and obligations therein are fulfilled.
Issued in Khartoum, the Sudan, on 5 October 2004.”
(ST)