Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
August 25, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir offered to allow US companies to explore for oil in the war ravaged region of Darfur.
“We have no problem with them [Americans] coming and sharing it with us but they want to take it all” the Sudanese president said.
US companies are unable to conduct business in Sudan because of sanctions imposed by Washington since 1997.
Al-Bashir has been under the international spotlight ever since International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked pre-trial judges in mid-July to issue arrest warrants for Al-Bashir.
Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder. Judges are expected to take months to study the evidence before deciding whether to order Al-Bashir’s arrest.
The Sudanese head of state accused the US of standing behind the ICC indictment and targeting him because he is opposed to Washington’s policies in the region.
The US is not a party to the ICC and has remained hostile to it. Washington had threatened to veto resolution 1593 referring Darfur case to the ICC adopted in March 2005 but eventually bent down to domestic and international pressure and abstained from voting.
“There is no reason for targeting us except first of all we are against Israel’s policies in the region and the Palestinian people. We are also opposed to US policies going at the Arab and Islamic region” he said.
Al-Bashir also said that Washington wants Darfur to have the right to secede in a manner similar to that of the South.
“They [Southern Sudanese] have a right of self determination by the end of the interim period in 2011. This is one of their [US] goals; to have Darfur reach this stage [self determination]” he added.
He also said that Western powers want to divide Sudan into 5 states; one in southern Sudan, one in Darfur, one in Kordofan, one in the east of Sudan, and one in the centre of Sudan.
“They think that the Darfur issue is the last means to undermine Sudan because if peace is realized in Darfur and a solution is found, there will be no other problem left” Al-Bashir added.
Moreover Al-Bashir alleged that unidentified powers want to de-Arabize and de-Islamize Sudan.
“The first project was the New Sudan Plan. This means that Sudan must be emptied of the Arabs and kept distant from Islam” he said. “They hoped to do this through the SPLM and the war in southern Sudan, or through the Darfur war” adding that all these attempts failed.
The Sudanese president also lashed out at the ICC accusing it of being a “colonialist tool”.
“The ICC is a new colonialist tool to bring to their knees all the states that they want to force to capitulate. The leaders of these states might be charged. These courts are aimed against the third world states” he said.
“For instance, all the atrocities that the US and Israel perpetrated, in terms of killing and bombing of civilians, were not questioned by the court. When asked about that they said that the United States was not a member of the court…Sudan is also not a member” he added
Al-Bashir ruled out any dealings with the ICC or handing the other two suspects Ahmed Haroun, state minister for humanitarian affairs and militia commander Ali Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, also know as Ali Kushayb.
“The target is not Ahmad Haroun or Ali Kushayb. The target is Sudan. If we start dealing with this court or making concessions, other ones will be requested” he said.
“We will not hand over any Sudanese citizen, as I have said in the news conference, no matter what the pressures are. Even if we go to war, we are willing to fight a war with superpowers to protect the Sudanese citizen” Al-Bashir warned.
Asked about what will happen if an arrest warrant is approved by the ICC judges Al-Bashir denied threatening the peacekeepers.
Last week Ashraf Qazi head of the UN mission charged with monitoring a 2005 peace accord between Sudan’s north and south said Khartoum warned the UN of “serious consequences” for its staff and facilities in the event of an arrest warrant.
“The government has conveyed to me that the issuance of an arrest warrant against President Bashir could have serious consequences for U.N. staff and infrastructure in Sudan” Qazi said.
But Al-Bashir said that the worst his government would do to peacekeepers is ask them to leave and not target them.
“If the government rejects the UN forces, it will ask them to leave. We will not target these forces. These are African forces in the first place” he said.
The Sudanese president has been misquoted last week by news agencies as saying that he would kick out peacekeepers following an arrest warrant for him.
Al-Bashir said he is ready to fight a war with the superpowers “to protect the Sudanese citizen”.
“We will not submit Sudan by an agreement or as a concession. Those who want to take Sudan must come with their armies and occupy it” he warned.
The Sudanese head of state said that the internal front is strong and that the ICC prosecutor’s move “unified the Sudanese people around the government”. He stressed that the country is strong politically and economically.
He also described the situation in Darfur as calm for the most part saying that the region is “90 per cent peaceful”.
“17 out of 18 localities in Darfur are safe” he said.
He further said that he inaugurated “major development projects in Darfur” and that the ultimate aim is to bring the displaced people to their homes.
Al-Bashir hailed the support Sudan received from world countries after the ICC’s indictment.
“Most of world nations support us, including the UN Security Council (UNSC) permanent member states” he said likely referring to China and Russia.
But Al-Bashir angrily accused Western countries of backing Darfur rebels and singled out France for hosting Abdel Wahid al-Nur, the chief of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and previously leader of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Khalil Ibrahim.
He expressed confidence that Sudan will be able to foil “US and Western plots”.
(ST)
Thyinka
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
Is Bashir going to acknowledge for once that mixing religion with politics will be the downfall of his government? Forming a government on ideologies which are not representative of all citizens and stakeholders is like building a house on a sand. When winds and storms come, the house will be blown away because it has been built on a weak foundation.
Why can’t he just wake up from denying the realities of his failed policies and start doing something about it.
Hakuna Matata
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
So, our president want to bribe his way through! i dont think that would actually work…bribing US with Darfur oil will not make ICC drop charges, instead bring peace to the whole NATION of sudan Mr president and the ICC may spare you one year off your life sentence!!
sorry, its too bad for you…..ICC never drop charges..never!
that is a fact
doot
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
The same words , the same time and
event used by gost saddam hussein of
bagdad yet being recall by failed
president al omer bashir to increase the number of windows, orphans , death
and disabilities in the country.i
strongly believe that president omer
albashir ` s altitude toward western
powers is an indication of leadership
failure and sign of weakness to rule
the nation in regardless of race,
political affliation, ethnic orgin
and naturality.The main cause root
of sudanese wars has connection
with world superpower except
southern sudan war of 1991 in Bor
so called emma `s wars and
bristish colonisation of 1950s
however, truth come before ideology
and we must except that sudanese
of twenty one centruy are the
problem of this centruy because,
obviously when talking of all the
problems of the centruy we already
talking about sudanese themselves
being the problem to themselve
however, there is no standpoint
where president should fingerpoint
to western powers but pointing his
finger to himself and his citizens
Sudanese authroties and their citizen in arm uniform must be solution to sudan problem if the can decide to stay together as one family and deserve betterment of this nation but it is very ironical of sudanese president to accuse western involvement in sudanese wars but at the same time busy buying arms from china and Russia to destroy the citizen. it is one of funniest words of twenty one century ever made, when president made clear that he is ready to fight western armies and powers to defend the interest of his citizens and protect the value of the country.indeed, i think mr president will lost the war he invited to his country in nearest future like his ally saddam of 2003 who just lost thousand of hectares of land to american invaders with in half an hour and left the thousand of people kill, windows, orphan , die , homeless, asylum and disable however, that history is one of the worst history in man history. the recent study show that when someone talk of his people and never solve it , he/she is the problem of the problem suppose president albashir to use the same effort and determination of 2005 when the CPA was wrote on to histroy of north and south problem perhap the same mechanism should be used rather making accuses to defend liberty and interest of sudanese people.
we all know is very hard to solve all the problems in this world however, it is to easy to stop adding more problems. I believe sudan is worst country of twenty one centruy and on this planet whose even at family level is in averge of disintergation for unknown reason . Now, it is time to stop adding more problems rather than to solve thems . It is time we as sudanese people to think about our problem and do something about it, it is time for sudanese people to ask themselve who are they not to be on this planet and who are they not to be in this centruy,it is time for sudanese people to start planting the seed of democracy and call for national reconcilation either from within or out.
madesio ukel
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
Mr Bashir
Giving out the two suspect Ahmed Haroun, Ali Kushayb and allowed US companies to explore oil in Darfur does not solve the problem.
America are not like others to bought, you inttent to do in oil region of Darfur.
You must to face invistgation infront of ICC table to pay a death of others.
Please countries behind al Bashir may god take you to hell.
AramanaCaani junuba
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
AL BASHIR ATTACKS SPLM’S NEW SUDAN VISION AND PLANS!!!
ALbashir! You are finished!
You are convicted of Treason, Bribery,genocide,crimes against humanity,Murder and catastrophic war crimes!! Against you are own citizens you claim to ‘protect from Western Powers!’ Do western powers commit crimes against their own citizens? Americans and Israeli,do they kill their own citizen the way you do? Where is your strength to challenge New Sudan plans!? Where? You wicked inhuman being!
Why do you refuse sudan to be part of the international community ? is sudan not on the same planet earth?
De-Arabize and De-Islamize?
WHY NOT?!
Infact these are severe ideologies that have created a Messy / chaotic situation in Sudan!
Was it not agreed that Religion should be separate from the state?
If you want to be a sheik or imam or whatever, leave the governvement seat and your right place is the mosque.How many times should be reminded that Don’t Mixed politics and Quoran?
Albashir using Propaganda as a pillar of rule!
He is a CHIEF LIAR! His information is incredible to all.
Kiir’s CANDIDANCY
There is no one competent and wise enough at this time round to take sudan through the interime period other than HE salva Kiir Mayardit.those other ”highly good guys ” should come when everything is smooth but not ‘Now’! salva must run for 2009!
Where does the doubt originate? Did he not win SPLM CHAIR during the convention? Then what happened? We need not to show power greed at this time! This the period of ”understanding things”.
See how Albashir is holding his FIST against Southerners! What do you read? His visit to Juba should be protested ! He massacred 1000 people in juba in 1992 and stated that he only killed 100! Of Darfur ,500,000 died ,he said only 10,000! What he really? Even that number he agrees, do they deserve to be Massacred?
Anyway he just a ”finished human being”. No much worry. But Alluta continua!!
Thanks,
AramanaCaani.
Bol Madut
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
My goodness, Bashir is sounding more and more illogical these days. Could this be an indication that his reign is coming to an end? I hope it’s the case.
Kur
Sudanese president offers to share Darfur wealth with US
This guy called Bashir is mentally ill and I think he needs to be placed in a correction centre.
The wealth of Darfur is for the Darfur people and not Americans. The Darfuri people are the ones to decide how to use their own wealth but not those who have committed genocide against them. These futile attempts to bribe Americans like what you did to Egyptians will not stop ICC indictment against you. You will never buy justice somewhere at this time. The best thing for you to do at the moment is to surrender to the ICC so that justice may take its course.
Kur