Sudanese Army and Air Force have continuously attacked rebel positions in Darfour and have been aided by Sudan's regime-aligned Janjaweed militia resulting in death and displacement of thousands.
Williamson said the focus of the dispute with Khartoum was the oil
district of Abyei, the scene of new fighting between the government and
rebels. He said the United States, without an ambassador in Sudan, has
sought to mediate a settlement between the Bashir regime and southern
rebels. Under a 2005 peace agreement, Abyei was to have been governed
jointly by southern and northern Sudan.
"Until they want a meaningful peace, there is nothing the United States
or others can do," Williamson said. "I've tried my best and I leave sad and
disappointed. Right now our talks are suspended."
Officials said the administration had raised the prospect that a
normalization agreement would remove Sudan from the State Department's list
of terrorist sponsors. They said the removal of Sudan from the terror list
would pave the way for military and dual-use sales to Khartoum.
Tensions between Khartoum and Washington rose in 2008 in wake of the
killing of a U.S. diplomat in Khartoum. The diplomat was killed one day
after President George Bush signed into law legislation that reinforced
sanctions on Khartoum.
"What I can say confidently is that they said we will stop at this
station," Nafie Al Nafie, an adviser to Bashir, said. "On our side, we left
it open. We said we are ready. If they come back, we will engage."
