World Tribune.com

468promo2.gif

State Dept., Congress split on Sudan policy

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Friday, June 7, 2002

The United States appears divided over a policy toward Sudan amid an escalation of its 19-year civil war in the south.

The division has led to a stalemate in Congress, where legislation that would force American companies and individuals to disclose investment in Sudan is stuck. The House has passed the bill, but the legislation has not advanced in the Senate.

Officials said the division stems from a State Department drive to remove Sudan from its list of terrorist sponsors. They said the department fears that any new U.S. sanctions on Khartoum would end any hope of its cooperation in the Washington-led war against terrorism.

The legislation is meant to stop Sudan from using its oil revenues to wage war against rebels in the south. With help from China and Russia, Khartoum has bought new military planes and escalated helicopter attacks on the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. The new platforms as well as intensive air attacks are said to have dislodged the SPLA from long-held military positions.

Members of Congress said the administration has blocked House-Senate efforts to reconcile differences over legislation on Sudan. They said the White House has ordered its allies to prevent a conference committee to advance the bill.

"There was a message from the White House that said that because of Sept. 11 [Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington], the view of Sudan has changed," Rep. Donald Payne, a New Jersey Republican, said. "Now, if we're going to be a government that stands for something, and after 40 years of death and starvation, that all of a sudden an evil wicked government becomes our ally Ñ the government that harbored Osama Bin Laden as they planted bombs in our embassies Ñ all of a sudden becomes a government that has not changed."

The congressional legislation would ban Sudan from entering U.S. capital markets for investment loans. U.S. companies that do business in Sudan would have to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the nature and extent of their investment and whether this aids Khartoum's war in the south. Assistant Secretary of State Walter Kansteiner for African Affairs at first declined to state the administration's position on the anti-Sudanese legislation. After sharp questioning from members of the House International Relations Committee on Wednesday, Kansteiner acknowledged that the administration opposes capital markets sanctions on Khartoum. "We feel that it is a precedent for political intervention in U.S. capital markets, and it's a detrimental precedent, and we would like to see it not become the law of this country," Kansteiner said. In a sharp exchange, the assistant secretary refused to confirm a State Department report that Sudan continues to harbor organizations deemed as terrorist. The assertion was included in the latest State Department report on global terrorism released last month. "They seem to be willing to let certain organizations operate that we are still concerned about, and we'd be happy to go into detail on that in another setting," Kansteiner said. "On the other hand, there has been significant cooperation on the counter-terrorism effort since Sept. 11th with the government in Khartoum." Committee members disputed Kansteiner's position that the Sudanese civil war is unwinnable. They said Sudan feels confident that it can buy the weapons and mercernaries to beat the SPLA. "It seems the government of Sudan believes it can win the war because of their windfall oil profits, and they seem to have no incentive to negotiate in good faith," Rep Joseph Pitts, a Pennsylvania Republican, said.

Print this Article Print this Article Email this article Email this article Subscribe to this Feature Free Headline Alerts