US special envoy visit to Sudan postponed
January 29, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — A long awaited visit by the newly appointed US special envoy to Sudan has been postponed according to press reports in Khartoum.
There was no word on the reasons behind the delay. A recent row was sparked between Khartoum and Washington because of statements made by its charge d’affaires Alberto Fernandez.
Fernandez told Reuters in an interview that a political crisis over stalled implementation of Sudan’s north-south peace deal and other unfulfilled commitments would directly affect Darfur peace talks due in the coming months.
Sudanese officials who were outraged by the statements summoned Fernandez and told him “not to interfere in the country’s internal affairs”
However some sources speaking to Sudan Tribune said the delay was unrelated to Fernandez’s statements and cited “security measures being taken in Khartoum” without elaborating.
Sudanese officials have expressed pessimism with regard to Williamson and noted that his background makes him a “hardliner”.
Darfur advocates have praised Bush’s choice of Williamson as key to overcoming those hurdles, noting the Illinois Republican has close ties to administration heavyweights, particularly Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. Williamson was Negroponte’s No. 2 when Negroponte was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations from 2001 to 2004.
US President Bush met with Williamson mid-January and said that the new special envoy will report to him “quickly” on Darfur as well as the North-South peace agreement that ended two decades of civil war.
Washington accused Khartoum of obstructing the deployment of UN-AU hybrid force in Darfur pursuant to resolution 1769.
Relations between Washington and Khartoum have deteriorated in recent weeks in light of Sudan’s refusal to admit containers that belong to the US embassy. The Sudanese government has refused to admit the shipment without payment of custom fees, something which Washington has rejected.
Khartoum also said it will not offer “free concessions” in return for normalizing relations.
(ST)