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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Sep 23 2010 - 08:57:03 EDT
Obama says will back Sudan, declares new aid policy
Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:39pm GMT
* Obama says U.S. will back a peaceful Sudan
* Declares first U.S. development policy
* U.S. will focus on economic development, sustainability (Updates with more
remarks from speech)
By Alister Bull and Steve Holland
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday
pledged support for a peaceful shift to democracy in Sudan ahead of a
January referendum many fear could lead to violence, as he declared a new
U.S. approach to development.
Citing a need to break the cycle between development aid and dependence,
Obama said that under his new strategy, the United States would partner with
nations willing to move forward and he picked Sudan as an example.
"We will reach out to countries making the transition from authoritarianism
to democracy, and from war to peace," the president told a summit to measure
progress in curbing poverty held at the United Nations.
"As others show the courage to put war behind them -- including, we hope, in
Sudan -- the United States will stand with those who seek to build and
sustain peace," he told the summit on the Millennium Development Goals to
ease poverty.
The Jan. 9 referendum on the independence of south Sudan is likely to split
the oil-rich nation in two. Any delay in the vote could re-open a 20-year
conflict responsible for 2 million deaths, mostly from hunger and disease.
Obama will also attend a special summit on Sudan on Friday on the sidelines
of the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
U.N. officials say the summit is intended to send a strong signal to north
and south Sudan that the world is committed to helping Africa's largest
country ensure that the secession referendum -- which finalizes the 2005
peace deal which ended decades of war between the two sides -- takes place
on time.
"The No. 1 message is that these referendums must go off on time, that they
must be peaceful, and they must reflect the will of the people of south
Sudan," Samantha Power, White House senior director of multilateral affairs,
said on Monday.
The United States says it will gradually improve both economic and
diplomatic relations, with the prospect of full normalization, if Khartoum
in the North allows the vote to take place, fully implements the 2005 peace
deal and resolves the separate conflict in the western region of Darfur.
OBAMA DEBUTS POLICY ON U.S. DEVELOPMENT
The world has set tough U.N. targets to tackle extreme poverty by 2015, and
while the strong growth of China and India have lifted living standards for
millions of people, progress on other goals like maternal and child health
has been slower.
America's first president of African heritage -- his father was Kenyan --
acknowledged progress in the fight against poverty, but said it still fell
short of what was needed.
He said the millions of people who have relied on food aid for decades
illustrated the risk of creating a dependence that undermined progress,
which was "a cycle we need to break".
"We're making it clear that we will partner with countries that are willing
to take the lead. Because the days when your development was dictated in
foreign capitals must come to an end," Obama said, drawing applause from a
U.N. audience which included senior officials from many developing
countries.
In a speech that recalled his own experience of growing up in Indonesia,
where his mother worked on behalf of the rural poor, Obama said he was
declaring an overhaul of the way that the United States applies aid.
"Today, I am announcing our new U.S. Global Development Policy -- the first
of its kind by an American administration," Obama said. "Put simply, the
United States is changing the way we do business."
The White House said this will mean an increased focus on economic growth
and development that would divert U.S. aid to the areas where conditions
looked ripest to yield sustainable progress. But the overall scale of U.S.
aid was not expected to decline as a result.
"Let me be clear, the United States of America has been, and will remain,
the global leader in providing assistance. We will not abandon those who
depend on us for life-saving help. Whether it is food or medicine, we will
keep our promises and honor our commitments," Obama said. (Additional
reporting by Andrew Quinn and Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Stacey Joyce and
Cynthia Osterman)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
S Sudan starts talks with renegade militia chief
Thu Sep 23, 2010 7:28am GMT
* Southern officials start talks with rebel
* Violence seen as potential threat to referendum
KHARTOUM, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Southern Sudanese officials have started talks
with a renegade militia commander who joined a rebellion that has threatened
the stability of the region in the run up to a sensitive referendum, the
south's army said.
David Yauyau was one of at least three militia leaders who took up arms
saying they had been cheated out of seats in April's elections and accusing
the south's ruling party of corruption.
Sudan's oil-producing south has long been plagued with well- armed militias
and tribal violence. Analysts have warned that the latest outbreak could
disrupt efforts to organise a referendum on whether the region should
secede, due on Jan. 9 2011.
"The local authorities in Pibor county have started peace talks with David
Yauyau ... The initiative to reach a peaceful settlement came from him.
Whether he is serious or not serious remains to be seen," said southern army
(SPLA) spokesman Kuol Deim Kuol.
Kuol said SPLA forces had been told not to attack Yauyau's supporters in the
south's remote Jonglei state -- where French group Total holds a largely
unexplored oil concession -- to avoid disrupting the discussions.
Yauyau, from the Murle tribe, told Reuters it was the local authorities who
first approached him with a letter, but the contact had not yet turned into
detailed negotiations.
"We have replied to them. This is the first step we have started with them.
We have some burning issues to be amended," he said. "If the letters
continue to be positive, we can have some dialogue with them."
Kuol said troops were still hunting for George Athor, a former SPLA general,
and his supporters in Jonglei, but floods were hampering the search. Kuol
said a third militia leader Galwak Gai was being treated for injuries in
north Sudan.
Southern leaders have accused the north of backing the militias in a bid to
disrupt the referendum and keep control of the south's oil, a charge
dismissed by Khartoum.
Athor told Reuters he was also interested in negotiating a settlement but
was facing SPLA attacks, most recently in August.
The referendum was promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of
north-south civil war that was also marked by fighting between southern
militias, often along tribal lines. Analysts say most southerners want
independence. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Giles Elgood)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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