US denies ulterior motives Darfur

WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (AFP) — The United States on Thursday flatly denied accusations by Sudan’s president that its interest in the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur was motivated by its desire to exploit his country’s natural resources.

At the same time, the State Department restated Washington’s persistant demand that Khartoum act immediately to meet UN requirements to ease the humanitarian crisis in Darfur by reining in pro-government militias and lifting restrictions on aid workers and assistance.

“Oil and gold is not the issue here,” deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters when asked about Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir’s claim this week that the international community’s humanitarian concerns over Darfur were a figleaf for plans to plunder the region’s wealth.

“The issue is saving people from disease, starvation, rape and murder,” he said. “That’s what’s at stake here. That’s why we’re involved in Darfur.

“That’s why the international community is speaking so clearly and consistently on the need for the government of Sudan to take real, visible, tangible action,” Ereli said.

Beshir and his government have come under a barrage of criticism from western governments and human rights groups for unleashing marauding militias on indigenous ethnic minorities in Darfur since the launch of a rebellion there early last year.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Beshir lashed out at the criticism, saying: “America and Europe harbor objectives that do not include the safety and prosperity of the people of Darfur … they are in search of gold and petroleum.”

Reports from the United Nations and rights groups issued over the past few days harshly criticised the Sudanese government for failing to end the crisis, which the United Nations says has left between 30,000 and 50,000 people dead.