US offers no details on ‘carrots and sticks’ of Sudan policy
October 19, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – After seven months of vigorous political wrangling, the US administration rolled out its comprehensive policy review of Sudan yet withheld specifics on the carrots and sticks portion of it.
Flanked by US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration, US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, the top US diplomat said that Washington has various ‘political and economic’ tools at its disposal “to either further progress or to create a clear message that the progress we expect is not occurring”.
“I think too that the sanctions issue is certainly part of our strategy. And I believe that the President’s commitment to sanctions as one of the tools that we have to employ in dealing with the leadership in Sudan,” Clinton said.
A senior US official speaking to reporters on background at the State Department told reporters that the administration feels “confident that what we have in the classified annex as quite serious; it does involve all elements of national power”.
The major tenets of the policy include a “definitive end to conflict, gross human rights abuses and genocide in Darfur”; “implementation of the North-South CPA that results in a peaceful post-2011 Sudan, or an orderly path toward two separate and viable states at peace with each other”; and to “ensure that Sudan does not provide a safe haven for international terrorists”.
Clinton, Rice and Gration’s joint appearance was made to relay concerns over divisions within the administration particularly over how tough the policy on Sudan should be.
Reports of the internal divisions have surfaced widely. For instance, the ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine said that Gration’s office drafted several iterations of the policy document and sent them along to the White House, the National Security Council, and the U.S. delegation at the United Nations.
Each time, Rice’s people at the U.N. sent back the document with heavy edits, calling for “more sticks” based on her basic skepticism that Sudan’s regime could be persuaded with carrots, the report said.
“Her view is very pragmatic, she has been working with these guys for a generation,” a former State Department official told Foreign Policy.
“[She knows that Sudan’s] response diplomatically is yes, yes, yes, but administratively it’s no, no, no, and then nothing really happens. So everything would go up to New York and would come back heavily edited … That’s why it’s taken so long” the official added.
Despite Obama’s campaign promises the administration appears to have dropped calls for a no-fly zone over Darfur.
On noticeable aspect of new US policy is what amounts to severing contacts with Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly orchestrating war crimes in Darfur.
“We have no intention of working with – directly with President Bashir. We firmly believe that he should get himself a good lawyer, present himself to the ICC, and face the charges that have been leveled against him” one senior US official said anonymously.
Asked how it is possible that US strategy will work without engaging Bashir, the official said that “it’s possible to conduct successful negotiations with the Government of Sudan without, in fact, engaging directly with President Bashir”.
Another US official speaking on background said that the major interlocutors in Sudan will include First Vice President Salva Kiir, 2nd Vice president Ali Osman Taha and presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen.
The U.S. policy statement acknowledges efforts to convince Chadian President Idriss Debby to halt support to the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), and likewise for Sudan to halt support to Chadian armed groups.
There has been a renewed push for mending fences between Chad and Sudan recently with a visit made by Sudanese presidential adviser this month to Ndjamena and meeting with Debby.
The policy also makes a rare nudge to the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) to “abide by its responsibilities under the terms of the CPA, and prioritize conflict mitigation and resolution, capacity-building, transparency and accountability, and service delivery”.
GoSS has been under increased scrutiny as ethnic violence flared in recent months and accusations of rampaging corruption and inefficiency within its ranks.
“The United States will work to improve security for the southern Sudanese people by supporting DDR and conflict prevention initiatives and strengthening the capacity of the security sector and criminal justice system. The United States will also work to improve economic conditions and outcomes. The United States will provide technical advisors to vital ministries and will work to strengthen entities such as the U.N. Development Program’s Local Government Reform Program (LGRP)”.
Washington also vowed to support the African Union –United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) including searching for countries to provide desperately needed helicopters.
In a separate statement the US president Barack Obama said that National Emergency with respect to Sudan will be renewed later this week which means that unilateral sanctions will remain in place for the time being.
(ST)