22 - 28 November 2001
Issue No.561
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 22 - 28 November 2001 Issue No.561 |
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Testing the waters
The US resumed efforts to facilitate a resolution of the Sudanese civil conflict this week in meetings with the concerned parties. Soha Abdelaty gauges the reactions
US special envoy to Sudan John Danforth concluded his first trip to Africa this week with a visit to Cairo for consultations with Egyptian officials and members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), an umbrella organisation for Sudanese opposition forces. Following stops in Sudan and Kenya, where he met with Sudanese government officials and John Garang, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), Danforth outlined the role the US envisions playing in resolving Sudan's long-running civil war.
President Mubarak with US special envoy to Sudan John Danforth
"The US does not have a peace plan; we are interested in seeing if we could be a catalyst, trying to bring together the various peace plans," Danforth told reporters after meeting with President Hosni Mubarak on Monday. The US is testing the waters, he added, saying that the US side has suggested four tasks for the Sudanese government and the SPLA. Danforth said that the US expected to see progress on these tasks before his next visit to the region in January as a signal that the parties are really serious about the peace process. "This is our way of saying to the parties: are you interested in progress or not? If they pass the test, then I am sure that the US will continue to be interested in being whatever help we can be," said Danforth.
He added that the US does not intend to stay involved much longer if the parties "fail" the test. "If, on the other hand, one or both parties indicate in the next two months by their actions -- not their words -- that they are not really interested in peace, then my agreement with [US President George W] Bush is that this, as far as we are concerned, is not something that is very fruitful," he concluded.
The demands put forward by Danforth include: allowing access to Sudan's Nuba mountains for humanitarian agencies; a cessation of hostilities in the mountain regions; a halt to the bombing of civilians; and the creation of "zones of tranquillity" to allow aid to be delivered to areas of conflict.
Danforth was appointed as special envoy to Sudan by President Bush five days before the 11 September attacks in the US -- a point he has not failed to mention in order to drill home the point that the US's desire to play a role in Sudan is unrelated to the attacks.
Danforth has been clear that the US does not wish to upset the peace process with any new ideas. Instead, there is a drive to reinforce the two peace plans currently on the table: the Egyptian-Libyan initiative and the initiative of the Inter- governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). "Our principal effort here is to reinforce what Africa is already doing about this problem, ... to reinforce the things that Egypt is doing, but also what Kenya is doing," said Charles Snyder, a Danforth aide, during a visit to Egypt on 31 October following a meeting with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher. The US, however, wishes to take this a step further, recommending that the peace plans be merged or coordinated. "We're hopeful that Egypt will find some way to work with IGAD and that IGAD will find some way to work with Egypt," Snyder added.
The two parties appear ready to oblige. President Hosni Mubarak's political adviser Osama El-Baz told reporters that there is a "complete understanding" between the two initiatives "and we see in this a possibility to get out of the present trap." Likewise, Danforth conveyed to Egypt a similar desire on the part of IGAD officials. "Danforth confirmed to me that during his visit to Kenya he understood that there was a wish to coordinate with Egypt because they feel that Egypt's role is vital and that the efforts that they are making do not contradict Egyptian efforts," Maher told reporters on Sunday after meeting with Danforth.
According to NDA sources, who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly on condition of anonymity, the US initially wanted to combine the two platforms and have representatives from Egypt and Kenya manoeuvre the merged initiative, thus excluding Libya. However, when asked by the Weekly how the US perceives Libya's role in resolving the conflict, Danforth said, "My feeling is that every country that is a voice and a force for trying to solve this is positive and we welcome and encourage all countries in the world to focus on Sudan and to be part of the solution." The NDA sources believe the apparent change in position is an indication of a more "even-handed" US foreign policy following the 11 September attacks.
In the meantime, Egypt will continue to move ahead with its peace plan. Egyptian and Libyan officials are awaiting responses from the NDA on a questionnaire regarding a national reconciliation conference that Egypt and Libya wish to organise in order to bring together all the warring parties. The two other major factions in the Sudanese conflict, the Sudanese government and the Ummah Party, have already handed in their responses, which deal with the date, place and agenda of the conference, as well as the level of representation. The NDA is expected to hand in its responses towards the end of this month, after a meeting of its leaders on 25 November in the Eritrean capital of Asmara.
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