Leadership (Abuja)
Uchenna Awom
29 October 2009
Abuja — A visibly angry President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, yesterday pointedly told a humbled delegation from President of Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir that the very hostile treatment against him and his colleagues was unacceptable to Nigeria.
He also asked the Sudanese authorities to make do the promise of investigating the incident adding that he hopes it would not mar Nigeria's relationship with Sudan. It could be recalled that Mark and some senators were prevented from entering the Sudanese airspace by the authorities on Monday, thus eliciting some misgivings that is capable of generating diplomatic row.But Al-Bashir's emissary, Ghazi Salahudeen Atabani who doubles as his Adviser and Majority Leader of the Sudanese Parliament, told Mark that he is in Nigeria to express his country's regret and tender his president's apology to the Senate President and people of Nigeria over the incident. The Senate President was however effusive as he told the delegation, which included the Sudanese ambassador to Nigeria, that while he noted their apology, he nonetheless was disappointed over what happened to him and members of his entourage."We feel disappointed with what happened, because the visit was programmed. If we knew that the airport was undergoing repairs or that it was going to be closed to traffic, then there was no need for us to embark on the journey in the first place", he said.
Mark further explained that even when they relayed the information to them from Khartoum, he made effort to contact the Ambassador of Sudan in Nigeria who himself expressed surprise at the development, the same to the Nigerian Ambassador to that country."Be that as it may, we were only going there to see our boys and girls serving there. We deployed our soldiers to Sudan without attaching any strings. We believe that when your neighbor is in trouble, you can intervene to achieve peace. It is also our belief that peace is necessary and your neighbor is not at peace, you too is not at peace. Such treatment are not acceptable to us; I hope it will not mar our relationship", he said.
He, however said that the matter has been reported to; "our foreign ministry, in any case we have noted your apology, but believing that you will investigate the matter as you have said".Earlier, Atabani who spoke in the presence of Nigeria's Ambassador to Sudan and some other senators, said what had happened was a mishap, which was caused by communication gap adding that they know that the airport in Khartoum was closed for repairs at specific hours of the day."We are here to express our apologies on the mishap when you were on your way to our country. It was a mishap, but we are conducting investigation on the incidence. It was caused by a communication gap. We apologise. We know that the airport was closed to traffic due to repairs going on�, he said.According to him the, Sudan appreciates the efforts of Nigeria in mediating the crisis in the country and to achieve a lasting peace. "We recall and appreciate the Abuja 1 and Abuja 2 peace accord. We appreciate Nigeria's presence in our country in terms of military deployment on peace keeping and besides we share the same colonial experience", he stated.
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