Ummah Party leader sees USA moderating its policy on Sudan
Al-Sharq al-Awsat (London), 17 June
The leader of the Ummah Party, Sadiq al-Mahdi, has said he had successful talks in the USA, and the US government was now disposed to take a more "moderate" approach towards Sudan. Al-Mahdi said his visit was an Ummah Party initiative but he would inform the Sudanese government about the results. Al-Mahdi added that US officials now realized that it was not a good idea to support a single Sudanese party "so that it can dictate its conditions". He said the US administration would now consider the possibility of lifting the sanctions on Sudan.
The following is the text of a report by Muhammad Sadiq in Washington entitled: "Al-Mahdi tells Al-Sharq al-Awsat: there are signs of new, moderate US position towards Sudan"; by London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat on 17 June:
Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, former Sudanese prime minister and leader of the opposition Ummah Party, has said that "in the near future there will be a moderate US approach to support the achievement of a comprehensive political solution in Sudan". This approach will be sponsored by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, he added.
Al-Mahdi described his talks with many US administration and Congress officials involved in the Sudanese issue during a nine-day visit to Washington as "successful by every standard". He said he found great preparedness on the part of those officials to listen to the ideas he put forward.
Speaking to Al-Sharq al-Awsat before leaving Washington on Saturday [16 June], Al-Mahdi said he told the US officials that "Sudan's circumstances are now adequate for all the Sudanese parties to accept a just peace agreement to put an end to the war and embark on a democratic process to achieve stability. The parties need a mechanism by a third party to ensure the implementation of any agreement they might reach. The officials I met with showed clear understanding of these ideas."
Asked when he expects this moderate US approach to start, Al-Mahdi said: "This depends first on the special envoy who will represent the USA. He will contact all parties and then present recommendations regarding the time and method of his work. He is the one to decide this."
On the special US envoy, he said: "He is Chester Crocker. I met him during my visit. He will meet with others. After he meets with all sides, he will propose what policy the administration should pursue in terms of the time, the mechanism and other aspects."
Asked whether the USA will be the third party that will provide the mechanism for the implementation of what the parties will agree on, he said: "What I meant by the third party is a regional international party. But the description of this party is unspecified, and there has been no details so far."
Asked if his visit had anything to do with the Sudanese government or whether it was made in coordination with it, Al-Mahdi said: "My visit had nothing to do with the government. It was based on an initiative by the Ummah Party within a vision determined by the party."
On whether the visit was made at the invitation of the US administration, he said: "It was carried out upon an understanding with the US charge d'affaires. There were reasons for the visit; it was within this framework." Asked what those reasons were, he said: "There is a climate hostile to the Sudanese regime [in the USA] as a result of policies that entail sharp contradiction between the Sudanese position and the US position.
The second fact is that this anti-Sudan mobilization spilled over to the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the American public and media. The third fact is that all Sudanese reports to or contacts with the Americans, whether by northern or southern groups, fed and intensified this mobilization. This explains the very hostile climate in Congress. The latest evidence was the draft that the House of Representatives approved on Wednesday [13 June]," a reference to a bill punishing oil companies operating in Sudan.
Al-Mahdi added: "This mobilization feeds one clear idea: namely, that the USA should support a certain Sudanese trend to help it achieve victory and impose its conditions on the others." He added: "In my meetings and talks with officials involved in the Sudanese file in the State Department, the Pentagon, the Senate, the House of Representatives and other official quarters, I found that these officials realize that the aforementioned policy - supporting a singe party so that it can dictate its conditions - is bankrupt. They admitted that this policy is a failure and that its results might backfire. I found great readiness to listen to the ideas I presented and a high degree of responsiveness to them."
He emphasized: "My visit was successful by all standards, and I am now optimistic that there will soon be a moderate and better US position supporting a comprehensive political solution in Sudan.
Asked whether he will inform the Sudanese government about the results of his visit, Al-Mahdi said: "I will inform the government, the Sudanese public and all the Sudanese political forces of the results of this visit and explain the positions that all parties need to adopt accordingly."
On whether he believes that the Sudanese government will cooperate and work to achieve a comprehensive political solution, he said: "Based on our contacts and dialogue with the government, I think it is ready to accept many of the things we are calling for. The government and the Ummah Party, indeed, signed the National Call in November 1999. This call contains many of the points for which we are calling to achieve a comprehensive political solution."
Asked how the government can cooperate when there are sanctions against it and when new sanctions are being considered, Al-Mahdi said: "The recent bill that was approved by the House of Representatives was most probably meant for election and other purposes, not to solve the problem. The administration will not abide by these ideas. Indeed, the administration, in its new approach, will consider the possibility of lifting the sanctions imposed by the UN and the USA if the government responds favourably to the comprehensive political solution plan in a specific way. This will be part of the US promises."
Asked if he believes that "the promising oil" in Sudan is one of the important factors behind the US interest and the expected moderate position, Al-Mahdi said: "The Sudanese issue has features of a clash of civilizations among various cultures and religions, and features of a clash over resources, including oil and water. But at the end of the day, these clashes must be contained through a fair peace agreement. Otherwise, they will cast their shadow over the conflict in Sudan." |
