Bush administration focuses on Sudan civil war

WASHINGTON Ñ The Bush administration has turned its attention to Sudan, divided by an 18-year-old civil war.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the issue with his advisers over the weekend. Officials said Powell was briefed on the civil war as well as on the strife within Khartoum between President Omar Bashir and his rivals.

"It's well described as a brainstorming session," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "The human suffering in Sudan have been an enormous tragedy. Ending the conflict remains a priority."

Officials said the administrations wants to form a policy on Sudan ahead of the visit of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Washington on April 2.

Mubarak, who will meet with President George Bush, has launched his own peace effort in Sudan, an initiative which has annoyed Washington.

A panel sponsored by the Washingon-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, which included U.S. officials, has called for a formula based on preserving the territorial integrity of Sudan while allowing the Christians and animists in the south to maintain autonomy. At the same time, Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives are warning that new oil revenues are bolstering the regime in Khartoum. The House members called for continued sanctions on Sudan.