Former Sudanese FM nominated as Arab League envoy in Iraq

Dec 24, 2005 (CAIRO) — Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has accepted a request by the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Musa, nominating the presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail as a temporary representative of the Arab League in Iraq until the completion of the Iraqi reconciliation.

Ismail said in an interview with the Egyptian first TV Channel that he is going to begin his mission in Iraq following the establishment of the new Iraqi government.

He added that a tentative plan was set to hold a reconciliation conference in Iraq before the next summit conference of the Arab League, scheduled to be held in Khartoum in March, in order to give chance to the foreign troops to pull out from Iraq.

Ismail further expressed optimism that the next summit conference of the Arab League ends the draw back in he Arab positions and be a new starting point toward the realization of the common objectives of the Arab league.

He revealed that 8bn US dollars is needed for the rehabilitation of the war-affected areas in Sudan, explaining that the government will provide 5.5bn US dollars, urging the donors to fulfil their commitments as agreed on at Oslo conference.

He explained that Sudan has nothing to do with the current situations in Chad, describing that as a collapse in the Chadian army, adding that the Chadian government wants Sudan to confront the Chadian insurgents while Sudan demands set up of joint forces along the borders.

(SUNA/ST)