| Sudan's UN Ambassador hits back |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Friday, 08 June 2007 | |
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He said the sanctions "will cripple the humanitarian situation in Darfur" and elsewhere in the country, because they target railways, airplanes and other transportation links. More than 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced in the four-year conflict between ethnic African rebels and pro-government janjaweed militia. A beleaguered, 7,000-strong African Union force and a peace agreement signed between the government and one rebel group have been unable to stop the fighting. "Unfortunately, the United States is politicizing the oil industry because of its very silly objectives in Darfur and elsewhere," Mohamad said. He added that the US sanctions "came not because of our inaction, it came because of our action, because we are active, because we are cooperating, because we are progressing on various fronts - the humanitarian, the political and the peacekeeping." The fact remains, when the US first imposed sanctions against Sudan about 10 years ago, the country emerged as an oil-exporting country. In November 1997, the US imposed sanctions on Sudan for supporting international terrorism, destabilizing neighboring governments and human rights violations. It cut off about 130 Sudanese companies from the US banking system, forcing them to find other ways to do business. The recent sanctions are to pressure Sudan's government to halt the bloodshed in Darfur that the administration has condemned as genocide. The American sanctions are designed to change the behavior of the government of Sudan. The new sanctions bar 31 companies from the US banking system. Thirty of the companies are controlled by the government and are mainly involved in the oil industry, while the other one is suspected of shipping arms to Darfur. The measures also target three individuals, including a rebel leader, suspected of being involved in the violence in Darfur. This time again, Sudan vowed to transform the challenges into opportunities. Mohamad said. "I think it's now very clear for members of the Security Council to know that the issue, US sanctions against Sudan, got nothing to do with Darfur. It has only to do with settling domestic issues in the US with Democrats and NGOs he said. Lastly, he vowed to continue support in the international arena, saying “we will continue with our commitments with the international community. The American sanctions will have no bearing at all with our cooperation with the UN and the United States at the end will be isolated, as it is now". Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 09 June 2007 ) |
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