Sudan’s diplomat denies supporting U.S. strategy
September 5, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The prominent Sudanese diplomat Ali Gagarin has assiduously denied that he holds a positive view of the U.S. strategy on Sudan, describing as false what was reported to that effect in a cable leaked by the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks.
“We need you; we need the United States,” the Sudanese diplomat reportedly told his U.S. interlocutor.
According to the cable, Gagrin counseled the U.S, diplomat that persuasion is the best way to deal with the ruling group in Khartoum given their sensitivity to pressure.
The cable said that the veteran Sudanese diplomat had expressed dissatisfaction with the way the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is governing Sudan, saying that a large number of diplomats share the belief that the country needs to reform and open up.
He was also reported to have said that he tried many times to persuade the NCP to align with reforms but his advices fell on deaf ears.
“Sometimes they listen, but more often they do not. They just do not care,” Gagarin was quoted.
He was also quoted as saying that Sudan is simply “on the wrong course” and argued that had he been in charge, the bilateral relationship with the U.S. would have been better.
But Gagarin, speaking to the subtly pro-government Sudanese daily newspaper Al-Sudani on Monday, dismissed the report as false and incredible.
“On the contrary, I demand joint dialogue between Washington and Khartoum based on consensus not pressure,” he said.
Gagarin, who is currently the Director General for Protocol at the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also claimed that the meeting between him and the US ambassador was routine and was held in his office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not through telephone as reported by WikiLeaks.
However, the Sudanese diplomat omitted to address what was reported about his criticism of the country’s ruling party.
Gagarin is reportedly a strong candidate to take over the Ministry of Youths and Sports in the upcoming cabinet formation. He has previously served as an ambassador in Algeria and the Central African Republic (CAR).
He earned his nickname of “Ali Gagarin” when he played professional football for Al-Hilal – one Sudan’s biggest teams – his meteoric rise in the sport was likened to that of the famous Soviet cosmonaut.
In a related development, a Sudanese official on Monday indicated that the suspected leader of the notorious Janjaweed militias in the country’s western region of Darfur and government adviser, Musa Hilal, could be investigated if what was reported in another Wikileaks cable about his criticism of the NCP over Darfur’s crimes is confirmed.
Musa Hilal gained infamy as leader of the Janjaweed militias which led a government-backed counterinsurgency campaign against African tribes in Darfur, where as many as 300,000 people died since the conflict between the government and rebel groups erupted in 2003.
Hilal was appointed in early 2008 Hilal as an Advisor to the Ministry of Federal Rule, a position he still holds.
The cable said that Hilal, in a meeting with the US Charge d’affaires (CDA) Alberto Fernandez on September 23, 2009, blamed hardcore Islamists within the NCP for Darfur carnage.
Also according to the cable, Hilal “snorted appreciatively” when CDA described the NCP earlier as experts in “deception, delay and false promises,” commenting that “you know them well then.”
“If we had a choice, we would be with America against the NCP” he said.
Hilal also sarcastically noted his role as a ministerial advisor, “We advise them on nothing. We have no power, everything, every killing is decided in Khartoum”
In response to the leak, the adviser to the media ministry and NCP’s leading member, Rabi Abdul Aati, said that what was reported about Hilal could undergo investigation in order to verify and what was ascribed to the man.
“If we came to verify it, then the matter merit a response,” he said, adding that the gravity of what was reported requires restrain before making any move.
(ST)