Danforth recommends US continue to push peace process

In a new report submitted to US President George W. Bush, US Envoy for Peace in Sudan John Danforth has recommended that the US continue to serve as an intermediary between the warring parties in Sudan.

In the report, released on Tuesday, Danforth recommended that participation by the US in the search for peace must be "collaborative and catalytic", as well as "energetic and effective". At the least, this would mean the US should enhance its presently "light" diplomatic presence in Sudan in order to be effective an participant in a sustained, intensive peace process, Danforth recommended, as well as strengthening the number of Washington-based personnel dedicated to the country.

Danforth said the principal conclusion of his mission was that the war between north and south was not winnable by either side in terms of achieving their present objectives. "Therefore, this is the time for a major push for a compromise settlement," he said. "I believe that both the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement have given sufficient indications that they want peace to warrant the energetic participation of the United States in a long-term peace process," he added.

During April 2002, Danforth said, both sides had offered proposals to the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) suggesting "a rethinking of previously held positions", and that both sides had shown that it was possible to agree on contentious issues and to permit international monitoring of the implementation of their agreements.

He cited the example of the Nuba Mountains agreement, which he described as "extraordinary": the ceasefire was holding, international monitors were arriving and a long-term relief and rehabilitation effort was beginning. He said agreements on slavery and attacks against civilians were equally encouraging.

He added, however, that progress made on the four test points which his mission had introduced - gaining humanitarian access to the Nuba Mountains, the abolition of slavery, the cessation of attacks on civilians and the introduction of "days of tranquillity" to allow for humanitarian intervention - had been "exceedingly difficult" and "grudging". Both sides wanted the conflict resolved, but on their own terms, he said.

"The extreme difficulty of reaching agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement underscores the essential importance of outside intermediaries in a peace process, including the United States." He added that the usefulness of outside intervention would depend on the willingness of the parties to the conflict to live up to any commitments made, and that any participation by the US should be reviewed continually in light of this.

"A breakdown in the implementation of the four test agreements would bring into question the parties' commitment to peace," he added.

With regard to the contentious oil issue in Sudan, Danforth said a fair allocation of oil resources could be the key to working out broader political issues if it were possible to find a monetary formula for sharing oil revenues between the government of Sudan and the people of the south. He said he had been urging the US government to draw upon experts to develop the best thinking on how the distribution of oil revenues could further the cause of peace.

He added that while the view of self-determination contained within the IGAD declaration of principles was one which included the option of secession, a more "feasible" and "preferable" view would simply ensure the right of southern Sudanese to live under a government that respected their religion and culture.

Danforth repeatedly stressed that the enforcement of any agreements made was essential for peace. "Without enforcement, the United States could invest much effort and prestige in working out an arrangement that, while sounding good when it is announced, would soon evaporate." An idea worth considering, he said, would be the establishment by the United Nations Security Council of a special committee to monitor the implementation of a peace agreement and report at regular intervals to the Council on any problems.

In conclusion, Danforth recommended that southern Sudan be accorded "a high priority" by the US government in the provision of humanitarian and developmental aid.

Senator Danforth was appointed as Envoy for Peace on 6 September 2001. His mandate was to determine the commitment to peace by the parties to the Sudan conflict, and to recommend whether the US should engage energetically in efforts to bring a just peace to Sudan.

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