Khartoum hopes spiral of violence can be avoided

The Sudanese government on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, news agencies reported. Foreign Minister Mustafa Uthman Isma’il, who is currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, was quoted as saying that Sudan was willing to cooperate fully with the US government and the international community to combat all forms of terrorism, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Isma’il expressed the hope that possible US retaliation would not give rise to further attacks. “While the foreign ministry reiterates its rejection of all kinds of violence, it also expresses its condolences for the families of the innocent victims, and hopes that these events will not lead to the expansion of the spiral of violence,” Sudanese television quoted Isma’il as saying. Following the bomb attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in August 1998, the US government retaliated by launching cruise missiles against a suspected chemical weapons factory north of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Sudan claimed the site was privately owned by a pharmaceutical company, and did not produce weapons.

Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Kenzo Oshima, who arrived for an official visit on Sunday, cut short his visit on Tuesday and left for Europe. Oshima was on a mission to visit conflict-displaced people in Ed-Daein, southern Darfur; hold talks on the humanitarian needs generated by last month’s floods; talk to both government and rebel sides on improved humanitarian access; and meet UN agencies and other UN agencies to discuss the challenges facing relief operations, according to humanitarian sources.