US Senators Isakson, Corker welcomed by North Darfur officials
May 26, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Two visiting U.S. Senators moved from meetings yesterday in the capital with aides of President Omer Al-Bashir to an appearance today with state officials in the troubled North Darfur.
Arriving in the state capital El-Fasher as part of a two-day visit to the country, the US lawmakers met with state officials and the leadership of the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission.
Senator Johnny Isakson reaffirmed the U.S. Administration’s interest to achieve peace in Darfur besides the attention of the American people to the humanitarian situation there. He also said the U.S. government paid huge amounts of money to improve the conditions of Sudanese living in Darfur camps.
The U.S. lawmaker made his statements in a meeting at the premises of North Darfur state on Tuesday with the Governor Osman Mohamed Youssef Kibir and a number of local legislators and members of the executive body as well as the traditional leaders.
Senator Isakson said that the visit aimed to assess the whole situation in Sudan, especially Darfur, expressing his delight to visit the region to see for himself the security situation in the troubled province, reported the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA).
He hailed voluntary organizations working in Darfur to improve the situation of displaced persons and praised the welcome of the state governor to work with the U.S. aid agencies in Darfur.
Senator Bob Corker explained that their visit means to inspect the conditions in the camps and the overall situation in Darfur so as to have a clear idea when it comes to deal with the relations with the Sudan.
For his part, Governor Kibir welcomed the visit of the U.S. Senate delegation to Darfur, noting that it will have an impact on the situation in Sudan in general and Darfur in particular, stressing it is better to come personally and assess the situation on the ground than to read inaccurate reports. He disparaged some reports as having “a lot of hype.”
Kibir stressed the importance of the U.S. role in the humanitarian work in Darfur, noting the significant contributions of America and its role in supporting humanitarian work in Darfur.
He underlined also the welcome of the national unity government to the new American NGOs working in the humanitarian field, to work besides the existing U.S. organizations. He mentioned they would arrive in the next phase of the humanitarian activities as it was agreed in the latest arrangements.
He further called to improve the Sudanese-American relations and the normalization for the interest of both countries and the coexistence.
Governor Kibir added that the recent ousting of NGOs had not left much of an impact on the humanitarian situation, pointing out efforts exerted by the government to fill the gaps in cooperation with relevant ministries and other organizations. In the wake of the expulsion order, the US State Department spokesperson repeatedly called on the Government of Sudan to reverse this decision, but fell silent when a compromise deal was reportedly reached.
Visiting US dignitaries this year — who have included Senator John Kerry and Special Envoy Scott Gration — have thus far avoided meeting with President Al-Bashir, who is wanted for arrest by an international court that the US does not recognize. Instead, they have met with senior figures including Vice President Ali Osman Taha, a preferred interlocutor in past negotiations.
(ST)