“Foreign schemes” to divide country, Sudanese official alleges
DAMASCUS, Syria, May 13, 2005 (Sudan Tribune) — “There are world powers which do not care about the unity of Sudan. We can even say that these powers want to dismember Sudan and replace this government with another one that serves their strategic interests, represented in obliterating Sudan’s Arab identity”, The Sudanese minister of state for foreign affairs Nejib al-Khari Abdelwahab said.
In an interview, in Damascus, published by Syrian newspaper Tishrin on 13 May; the Sudanese official indicated that it is very easy for Arab and Syrian observers to see foreign interference in Sudan’s affairs through the foreign interference and pressures put on Syria. The two are similar, the source of these pressures is the same, and the policy adopted toward the two countries is also the same. All this is part of the greater Middle East plan.
Abdelwahab said that these powers want to dismember Sudan and replace this government with another one that serves their strategic interests, represented in obliterating Sudan’s Arab identity.
Top among these powers is the Zionist lobby, which considered the Darfur issue primarily a Jewish issue requiring solidarity between the Jews and some African tribes, which claim to be in conflict with Arab tribes.
The following is the full text of the interview with Abdelwahab, Sudanese minister of state for foreign affairs, by Samir al-Shaybani, in Damascus, published by Syrian newspaper Tishrin web site on 13 May; subheadings inserted editorially:
– How much progress has been made in Sudan along the road to national reconciliation?
Abdelwahab: The situation can be summed up in the fact that Sudan has succeeded in ending the war and reaching the January 2005 agreement, according to which a new constitution will be adopted and an expanded government will be established in the centre and a regional government in the south.
According to this agreement, the ruling National Congress party will have 52 per cent of power, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement 28 per cent, the political forces in the north 14 per cent, and the other political forces in the south six per cent. A committee was formed to write the constitution on the basis of the January agreement.
“Foreign schemes” seeking to divide Sudan
– What are your plans against the foreign schemes that seek to divide Sudan and interfere in its affairs?
Abdelwahab It is very easy for Arab and Syrian observers to see foreign interference in Sudan’s affairs through the foreign interference and pressures put on Syria. The two are similar, the source of these pressures is the same, and the policy adopted toward the two countries is also the same. All this is part of the greater Middle East plan. The UN and the international community made large efforts to reach a peace agreement between southern and northern Sudan.
The UN, however, did not adopt toward Darfur the same policy it adopted toward southern Sudan, where we succeeded in establishing peace. The UN began with the issue of trials, which was the last step or priority in the Naivasha talks, which led to peace. The UN has also ignored Europe’s experience during World War II. The war criminal courts were formed only after the war. The Nuremberg Tribunal is an example.
– Why do you think the UN acted differently from the way it acted in the south?
Abdelwahab: The UN avoided the policy used in the Naivasha talks because that policy was designed to end the war, achieve peace, and secure the unity of Sudan. As for the issue of Darfur, there are world powers which do not care about the unity of Sudan. We can even say that these powers want to dismember Sudan and replace this government with another one that serves their strategic interests, represented in obliterating Sudan’s Arab identity.
Top among these powers is the Zionist lobby, which considered the Darfur issue primarily a Jewish issue requiring solidarity between the Jews and some African tribes, which claim to be in conflict with Arab tribes. The Darfur issue has thus been depicted within the framework of mass annihilation. The Zionist groups and US Administration played on this theory and dedicated huge resources and large media and diplomatic campaigns to promote this erroneous diagnosis of the conflict.
– What about Arab and African support for Sudan?
Abdelwahab: The Arab world, together with the Arab League, was late in supporting Sudan against this aggressive onslaught at a time when the Zionist groups and their influential centres and organizations in the world worked hard to achieve their strategic aims over the years. Africa has recently become aware of the aims of this scheme, which adversely affects regional security. It adopted decisions which made the restoration of security and stability in Darfur an African responsibility. It decided that the issue of Darfur should be dealt with through African mechanisms and within an African framework.
But the influential international forces employed large pressures on Africa and took the initiative away from it. They considered themselves the only side to diagnose the ailment and prescribe the medicine.
– How does the government deal with this serious situation?
Abdelwahab: We, in the Sudanese government, believe that the scheme has become very clear to all. An alliance has clearly been formed to achieve this goal. We, however, believe that Sudan will develop only through the will of its people. We also believe that the way out of the current situation lies in achieving national Sudanese unity and foiling this scheme. This is in addition to bolstering solidarity between Sudan and its brothers in the Arab African, and Islamic world as well as the Non-Aligned Movement.
Therefore, we have formed an expanded committee to draft the constitution. The committee began its work last week. We have also embarked on negotiations in Cairo with the northern political forces affiliated with the National Democratic Alliance. We have also started dialogue in Nairobi with the southerners.
We will distribute power and wealth in accordance with the peace agreement.
Sudanese-Syrian ties
– What is your assessment of the Syrian-Sudanese relations, especially since the two countries are under similar pressures?
Abdelwahab: In spite of the geographic distance between the two countries and in spite of the fact that each of them is located in a different continent, the circumstances experienced by the two countries are the same and the side that is targeting their security and stability is the same. The final aim of these pressures is also the same. The channels of communication and consultation between the two political leaderships continue and are daily bolstered. The experience of each of them in dealing with these pressures benefits the other.
We in Sudan are very pleased with our ties with Syria and we appreciate Syrian support for us. We are quite satisfied with the political and diplomatic support Syria extends to us in the regional and international forums. Besides, our realization of Syria’s ability to deal with these pressures, threats and schemes strengthens our determination to stand firm and adopt enlightened measures to overcome difficulties.
We believe that similarity in the current situation in both Syria and Sudan strengthens relations between the two countries and peoples and opens the door wide for more joint work in all domains.
Material provided by the BBC Monitoring service.