Canadian Prime Minister considers visit to Sudan

By CAMPBELL CLARK AND JEFF SALLOT

OTTAWA, Oct 23, 2004 (The Globe and Mail) — Prime Minister Paul Martin is considering a visit to Khartoum to press the Sudanese government over the continuing human-rights disaster in the Darfur region.

Mr. Martin discussed the issue with a delegation from the European Union led by top EU diplomat Javier Solana and Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot yesterday, asking their opinion on whether he should add a visit of his own to those who have already conducted direct missions to Khartoum, European diplomats told The Globe and Mail.

After Mr. Bot reported on his trip to Sudan, Mr. Martin indicated he was mulling over a mission of his own, asking whether they felt all Western leaders should go to Khartoum to apply sustained pressure to the Sudanese government, Canadian officials confirmed.

“We’re looking into the possibility,” Melanie Gruer, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister, said.

Mr. Martin is already scheduled to visit Africa next month to attend the summit of leaders of francophone countries in Burkina Faso, so it is possible a visit to Khartoum could be added to that trip.

About 1.5 million people have been driven from their homes in the Darfur region of western Sudan by violence. Rebels have accused the government of backing Arab militias known as janjaweed, who have burned and looted non-Arab villages. Both sides have accused each other of violating a ceasefire that UN officials say is being largely ignored.

If he chooses to go, the trip would make Mr. Martin one of the few heads of government to travel personally to Sudan to express concern about Darfur, but perhaps also part of a developing movement to maintain high-level pressure on the government there.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Khartoum two weeks ago, warning Sudan that the international community would not rest until the violence in Darfur ends.