Minister calls for US role in peace process

Meanwhile, Khartoum called on the US to play a role in ending Sudan’s 17-year civil war, while at the same time cautioning Washington to distance itself from rebel movements. Speaking with Egyptian officials on a visit to Cairo on 2 September, AFP quoted Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma’il as saying: “Everyone agrees that the American role in the installation of peace in Sudan is important.”

He went on to say, however, that while there has been an improvement in Washington’s stance on the conflict during the past year, with regard to the SPLM, “the United States has [shown] and continues to show favour to the rebel movement”. Concerning America’s position on the peace initiative, Isma’il said it would “be best if the United States adopts a neutral position”, adding: “We are currently working to improve the American position so that it becomes more neutral.”

Meanwhile, on Friday, Hasan Ahmad al-Hasan, the northern opposition Ummah Party spokesman in Cairo, said Washington had proposed a peace plan to end Sudan’s civil war, calling on Khartoum to give southerners the right to self-determination immediately.
American officials are also offering to meet leaders of the various northern and southern Sudanese opposition groups to discuss alternative ideas at the same time as a conference of the opposition umbrella group, the National Democratic Alliance, opening on Wednesday in Asmara. The Ummah Party is opposed to Washington’s proposal, calling instead for a plan “to first give a chance to a solution guaranteeing Sudan’s unity,” Hasan said.