Sudan summons US diplomat to query position on Istanbul conference

March 1, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese foreign ministry on Thursday summoned the US Deputy Chief of Mission Dennis Hankins to get clarification on the position of Washington with regards to the upcoming conference to be held in Istanbul.

The Istanbul Conference is due to be held in Turkey in late March to discuss relief of Sudan’s external debts and providing economic assistance to help Khartoum cope with the loss of oil revenues as a result of South Sudan’s secession, which took place last July.

It is being organised by Norway, the European Union and Turkey.

Sudan news agency (SUNA) quoted the US diplomat as saying that his country has two reservations on the agenda for the conference while emphasising that the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan represents an obstacle that may prevent their participation at an appropriate level.

However, he pointed out that the US has not made a final decision yet.

The Sudanese foreign ministry Undersecretary Rahmatallah Osman said that his government has no problems with the conference’s agenda. He went on to say that when the US made a commitment to help Sudan after the secession of South Sudan, there was no war in South Kordofan.

Osman said Khartoum that had made significant efforts to achieve peace including calling for a ceasefire, asking the international community to put pressure on the rebels and stressed that Sudan is not responsible for what happened in South Kordofan.

He said that Sudan wants a “clear position” from the US so it can determine its policies accordingly.

Fighting has been raging for months between the Sudanese army and rebels from the Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N), which wants to topple the Khartoum government, in the states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, adjacent to newly-independent South Sudan.

The United States has warned that South Kordofan could face famine conditions if Khartoum continues to deny aid agencies access to civilians in rebel-held areas.

The United Nations estimates that more than 500,000 people have been displaced. Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has warned that food shortages would become critical in March and urged the world body to consider unspecified “options” if deliveries cannot come in by then.

Sudan has rejected any plan for an aid corridor without involvement by its government organisations, saying that supplies could go to rebels.

(ST)