Sudan FM says ambassadors were summoned without his knowledge

By Roba Gibia

November 4, 2008 (CAIRO) – Sudanese foreign minister revealed during his recent visit to Cairo that Ethiopian and Kenyan ambassadors were summoned over accusation of weapons delivery without his knowledge.

The foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors of Kenya and Ethiopia to Sudan on October 13 over allegations of weapons shipments to southern Sudan.

Deng Alor told Sudan Tribune that the summoning of both Kenyan and Ethiopian Ambassadors was done without his knowledge, “which is a really problem in itself,” he said distancing himself from this inimical move towards the two neighbouring countries.

During a two day visit to Egypt, the Sudan Foreign Minister, Deng Alor met with Egyptian President, Mubarak, Foreign Minister, Ahmed Abul Gheit, Secretary General Arab League, Amr Musa, and Ministers of Investment, Health and Education as well as Amr Suleiman, the head of Egyptian intelligence service.

Talks with the Egyptian officials focused on the Arab and African initiatives for peace in western Sudan as well as on the Sudan’s People Forum on Darfur crisis held in Khartoum and Kenana last month.

This initiative aims at reaching a common ground between the government and the opposition regarding the settlement of the Darfur crisis, the Sudanese foreign minister said in Cairo.

Speaking at GoSS Liaison office Alor told Sudan Tribune that there is no arms race between south and north. He stressed that that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement gives legitimate right to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to arm itself as well as Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), which has to be done through specific mechanism and joint defense committee.

The minister went on saying that, therefore it is not prohibited for SPLA to arm itself, but both SAF and SPLA are not informing the joint defense committee.

As regards the accusation that the Ethiopian airline landed at Juba airport with weapons to SPLA, Alor said that this accusation has got no ground. He explained that Ethiopia is producing light weapons and in assumption if SPLA wanted to import weapons from Ethiopia, it can be done through land which no one will notice it.

“The arms brought by small plane were just samples for the Ethiopian exhibition in Juba” he said.

But when Ethiopia saw that it is going to create problems with the Sudanese Government, the arm samples for exhibition was returned back to Ethiopia and was never displayed in the Ethiopian fair which was opened last month in Juba, the minister said.

Speaking about the Ukrainian shipment, Sudan Foreign Minister said that the row over the weapon that is heading to the Government of Southern Sudan was fabricated by the NCP media, thus both SPLM and NCP agreed to leave this issue aside because it is not going to solve any purpose.

Ukraine and Kenya deny that the tanks shipment ship hijacked by Somali pirates since two months were for South Sudan. But different sources said the arms were for southern Sudan army.

Kenyan Ambassador to Sudan Robert Mutua Ngesu told reporterson October 26 that the hijacked weapons are belonging to the Kenyan army and have nothing with southern Sudan army.

(ST)