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Obama Administration Sudan Envoy Headed to Region
March 30, 2009 6:26 PM
ABC News' Kirit Radia reports:
The Obama administration's new envoy for Sudan, retired Air Force Major General Scott Gration, will depart on his first official trip to the region tomorrow. He's expected to make stops in Khartoum, the capital, and in Darfur.
Today Gration met at the White House with President Obama and representatives from Darfur advocacy groups.
Advocacy groups appeared to like what they heard.
"The coalition was reassured to hear the Obama administration’s commitment to bring peace to Sudan," Save Darfur Coalition president Jerry Fowler said in a statement after the meeting.
Gration's visit comes as tensions have increased between Washington and Khartoum over President Omar al-Bashir's decision to expel major foreign aid groups from the country after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest for crimes in Darfur.
"During his trip to Sudan this week, it is critical that Special Envoy Gration convey to the Sudanese government that they now face a fundamental choice as a direct result of President Bashir’s actions," Fowler added. He urged Gration to visit other countries to enlist their support.
In an interview with ABC News, Fowler said his group "underscored a sense of urgency" during the meeting with Obama and Gration.
"The initiative has to be siezed," he said.
Aid groups have warned that the decision could spawn a humanitarian disaster as many in the troubled region depend on foreign aid for survival. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Bashir would be considered responsible for every death that is caused by the expulsion.
Bashir has so far thumbed his nose at an ICC warrant, making several high profile trips abroad where he has been embraced by foreign leaders. So far he's been warmly received in Eritrea, Egypt, and now at the Arab League summit in Qatar.
The US has been carefully not to explicitly endorse the ICC warrant, since the US does not recognize its authority, but has called for those responsible for genocide in Darfur to be held accountable.
During the campaign last year President Obama pledged to devote his efforts to resolving the crisis in Darfur.
Asked if President Obama was fulfilling those promises, Fowler told ABC News it was too soon to tell, but that early signs were encouraging.
"The appointment of a full-time envoy, one that he's got a close relationship with and confidence in is an important step but an early step," he said
March 30, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (6)
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I hope that ICC to do somthing in Gaza
Posted by: salah ahmed | Mar 30, 2009 7:09:19 PM
The African Union, Arab League, Islamic nations, G-77 nations 130 countries, China Russia are siding with Sudan against International Criminal Court. If the UN Security Council does not delay or rescind ICC criminal charges these nations will revoke the International Criminal Court charter. Susan Rice United Nations ambassador has overplayed her hands in setting up Omar al-Bashir for war crimes so that western corporations can cease control of Sudan’s natural resources. Susan Rice has working on ceasing Sudan’s natural resources sense the Clinton administration. Susan Rice was playing checkers against Sudan but the rest of the third world knew her plans and these nations played chess against Susan Rice and checkmated her. Susan Rice boss President Barack Obama now has to deal with Susan Rice abortion by appointing a special envoy retired Air Force General Scott Gration. Not good for Susan Rice a major failure less than a month on the job. Why Sudan is so important? In the last 5 years their oil deposits are 5 to 10 times larger than expected and huge high-yield deposits of Gold Silver Platinum Uranium and other precious metals were discovered. Sudan’s agricultural land has the richest red volcanic soil in the world but poor water distribution. A new dam was completed with 1 gigawatt of electricity and water for a massive water irrigation system. Soon Sudan will not need any food aid and will be a major food exporter.
Susan Rice foreign policy disasters
Should the African Union draw up list of undesirable people banned from the African continent it should be Susan Rice and her family at the top of the list. Susan Rice is responsible genocide in Rwanda supplying weapons Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) which has waged a totally unsuccessful but nevertheless genocidal war against the Sudan government since 1983. While Susan Rice was engaging in highly publicized shuttling among Central African capitals, to demand that Congo allies Angola and Zimbabwe withdraw their troops from the Congo, in order to prevent a "wider conflagration, her underlings were in the process of vetting private contractors to give logistical support to the Ugandan- and Rwandan-backed rebels in the Congo. Every policy that Susan Rice has formulated has been a complete failure ending in millions of innocents Africans lives lost. If there is anyone who should be put on trial for war crimes in Africa it would be Susan Rice. If Susan Rice would be ever convicted of war crimes I would the first to pull the switch to save more millions of future Africans lives.
Posted by: Phil | Mar 30, 2009 11:27:07 PM
Phil,
Take it easy, man. Don't you think you're getting carried away with Susan Rice. You're way off when you say "If Susan Rice would be ever convicted of war crimes I would the first to pull the switch to save more millions of future Africans lives."
I think the U.N. should come down on Eritrean fascist like a ton of bricks. That would solve the problems of the Horn of Africa.
Posted by: jim | Mar 31, 2009 3:17:58 AM
This is a wonderful post. Phil, I agree you should lay off Susan a bit. I think Barack is doing a pretty decent job and has taken many steps to show that he is serious about eliciting change in the Executive Office. I think that there are still a lot of challenges, and you can expect that it will not always be easy and that he will have to make many tough and unpopular decisions.
Posted by: Vince | Mar 31, 2009 1:32:24 PM
which side will Obama's envoy be supporting? The Muslim government (and slavers and genocide formentors) of the Northern Sudan or the exploited and starving Christian and animist people in the Southern part of Sudan? Will Obama ask his "cousin" Odinga for advice in the region (you recall how Odinga was partially successful in his campaigns by ethnic tensions, ethnic violence, and allying himself with Muslims.)
Posted by: Ed | Apr 16, 2009 10:52:03 PM
Wait a minute...The President declared in his Trinidad speech the new US policy of 'non interference' in another country's affairs.
Yet, we are sending an envoy to Sudan to try and interfere in their country's internal affair regarding Darfur?
Which is it, Mr. President? Is it, 'we'll make exceptions (genocide, for example) in Africa but in Latin America, any revolution is perfectly acceptable to America now?'
You can't have it both ways, folks.
Posted by: J House | Apr 19, 2009 2:36:49 PM
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