US says wants new relationship with Sudan, but peace first
LONDON, March 23, 2004 (Platts/ST)– Sudan’s relationship with the US will change once a US-backed peace deal is accepted by both parties in the latest attempts to end a 21-year old conflict in Sudan, the White House said late Monday.
“The US President offered reassurance that Sudan’s relationship with the United States will change once a peace is completed. The United States wants a new relationship with Sudan,” said White House spokesman, Scott McClellan in a press briefing.
McClellan said Bush had telephoned both the Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir and John Garang, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, urging both to finalize a peace agreement.
The US, since the 1990’s has imposed economic sanctions on Sudan.
The current final peace deal is being held up by the status of three disputed regions – Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile – and questions over power sharing.
Abyei is an oil-rich region and produces a third of Sudan’s current production of 300,000 b/d.
The President Bush urged President Bashir to accept the United States’ proposal offered by his envoy, John Danforth, on the disputed area as the basis for working out remaining issues and completing a framework agreement in the coming days,” McClellan said.
The President Bush indicated to both President Bashir and Dr. Garang that there were moments in history when leaders must rise to make a big difference for their countries. This is that moment for Sudan,” Bush said, as quoted by McClellan.
Bush had also expressed concern about a humanitarian crisis in the western province and asked Bashir to rein in militia and open up humanitarian access in the region.
He also thanked Garang, McClellan said for accepting the US’ proposal offered by the US special envoy, John Danforth, on the disputed area, and urged that it be used as the basis for working out remaining issues and completing a framework agreement in the coming days.
Khartoum and the SPLA, who have been at war since 1983, have already failed to meet a Dec 31 deadline to forge a comprehensive peace deal.
The SPLA has maintained it wants to include Abyei in a referendum, that will decide the fate of southern Sudan after a transitional phase, while the government insists the disputed region is part of northern Sudan territory and cannot be included in the referendum.
The referendum which will follow a six-year transitional period will determine if the mainly Animist and Christian south will secede or remain part of Sudan, which has a Muslim majority.
The US-backed peace plan is the latest effort to end a 21-year conflict that has claimed 1.5-mil lives and displaced 4-mil people.