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To: Len Hynes who wrote (9114)	5/15/2002 12:33:35 AM
From: LARRY LARSON	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24923

Tuesday May 14, 8:53 pm Eastern Time Reuters Company News US envoy tells Bush peace deal possible for Sudan WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - U.S. special envoy John Danforth told President George W. Bush the decades-old civil war in Sudan could be settled in the near term despite many obstacles, the White House said on Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT But administration officials said Bush has not decided how to proceed with the peace effort. "There are no immediate plans to have him (Danforth) go back," an official said. Danforth has undertaken two missions to Sudan since the president named him as peace envoy five days before the Sept. 11 attacks. In his report to the president, Danforth recommended that the Sudanese government share oil revenue with the rebels and accept international monitoring of religious freedom as part of a "just peace." Sudan is rich in oil with proven reserves of more than 1 billion barrels, creating revenue that the Khartoum government has used to buy new weapons. Danforth also recommended that Bush rethink U.S. participation in any peace process if the Khartoum government and the rebels fail to abide by agreements to reduce tension and minimize civilian casualties. He said negotiations -- between the government in the mainly Muslim, Arab north and the Sudan People's Liberation Army fighting for more autonomy for the mostly Christian or animist south -- were "exceedingly difficult." Danforth also dismissed the idea of secession for southern Sudan, saying rebels instead should have a government that respects their religion and culture. An administration official said the president was reviewing Danforth's recommendations. "The report finds that despite the many obstacles, a peace settlement in Sudan is possible in the near term," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "The report recommends that the United States continue to serve as an intermediary between the parties, pursuing peace with and through the ongoing regional peace initiative." The White House said in a separate statement that the United States cannot impose a peace agreement on Sudan. "Rather, the parties themselves must reach agreements on key issues, including guarantees of freedom of religion, governance and use of revenues." More than 2 million people, mostly from the south, have died in the war, either directly in fighting or indirectly from hunger and disease exacerbated by the conflict. The Bush administration intensified efforts to end the conflict after the Sept. 11 attacks with signs that Sudan was willing to cooperate against radical groups. Al Qaeda network leader Osama bin Laden, accused of masterminding the attacks, lived in Sudan in the mid-1990s. Citing Danforth's report, U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, said he will again try to pass legislation banning foreign companies from listing on U.S. stock exchanges if they engage in oil development in Sudan. Email this story - Most-emailed articles - Most-viewed articles