Sudan calls US religious, civil rights to work for sanctions removal

Nov 13, 2005 (WASHINGTON) — The head of the Sudanese Embassy yesterday appealed to U.S. religious and civil rights activists to persuade the United States to remove the economic sanctions on his country.

“Sudan is still under a number of sanction regimes, which impact negatively. We believe they should be removed today, rather than tomorrow,” Khidir Haroun Ahmed, the charge d’affaires, told a luncheon forum hosted by the World Media Association at The Washington Times yesterday.

“Our railroads are crippled. Our trains are made by General Electric and General Motors. Our air fleet is made by Boeing, and they are under severe U.S. sanctions.”

According to the Washington Times, he said the new peace agreement is working and his country, five times the size of Texas, is struggling to better the lives of the Sudanese people.

William Reed, of the Give Peace A Chance coalition, agreed. He said the U.S. government view that genocide is being committed by Sudanese troops, especially in the Darfur region, is mistaken.

“You have never heard an African leader say it was genocide,” he said, calling that description a concession to religious conservatives in America. “The United States should be involved in conflict resolution and creating stability.”

The Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, a former D.C. congressional delegate, said the time had come for selected sanctions to be removed. He said the key to Sudan is that religious leaders of all faiths and political leaders must work together to craft equitable solutions to political conflicts.

(ST)