Sudanese FM proposes “road map” to USA on Darfur

KHARTOUM, Apr 18, 2005 (SUNA) — Foreign Affairs Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail has revealed that the proposals the government presented to the US Administration on how to resolve the Darfur crisis were written proposals – an eight-point road map.

Speaking to the press, Ismail said the proposals that the US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick received during his visit to the country last week would need messages of support from the international community rather than the negative messages sent now and then by both the US Congress and the UN Security Council.

He added the road map to solve the Darfur problem included a number of important tasks and priorities on how to bring about peace and a political settlement to the problem, adding the implementation of the proposed road map would bring a reasonable solution to the Darfur problem.

Regarding the interest expressed by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, SPLM, to participate in the Abuja talks, Ismail said the government would welcome any efforts to resolve the problem, pointing out that the SPLM would be part of the government in two months time, and that if the problem would still rage on by then, the SPLM would take part in any policy on how to resolve the Darfur problem. Also, the SPLM, he said, would be part of any governmental delegation in charge of resolving the Darfur problem.

Regarding the government reaction to the recent UN Security Council resolutions, the foreign minister pointed out that the government had tasked a number of organs to deal with them.

For example Resolution 1593 is being dealt with by the Justice Ministry which is studying it from a legal point of view and how Sudan should deal with it; however, Resolution 1590 on the deployment of a UN peace-keeping force to monitor the cease-fire in the South is being dealt with by the Foreign Ministry, he explained.

Regarding the African Union, AU, mediation between the government and the Security Council, Mustafa Osman pointed out that it was not a mediation. Simply, he explained, Resolution 1593 gave the AU a role which is not less important than the role of the International Criminal Court, and therefore the AU is only playing the role that it is supposed to be playing to resolve the Darfur problem.

The position is clear, he added, any solution must be reached inside Sudan. Therefore, any suggestion that the talks should be held in a foreign capital is out of the question, he said.

Within this context, he added, the government is continuously in contact with African leaders to find a solution. For this reason an envoy of Nigerian President Obasanjo would be arriving in the country today, and Senegalese President Abdallah Wade would be making a stop over today on his way to kuwait, he said.