Washington, DC — Because the government as well as the rebel SPLM/A "are negotiating in good faith" in Sudan, President George W. Bush told the U.S. Congress Monday, no new sanctions will be imposed against Sudan.
The Sudan Peace Act, signed by President Bush last October, requires that every six months he evaluate and "certify" to Congress whether the government and rebels are negotiating in good faith .
The Act also empowers him to impose sanctions against the Khartoum government and boost aid to rebels should it be determined that the government is not engaging in good faith negotiations or has "unreasonably interfered with humanitarian efforts."
Those sanctions would permit Bush to block oil revenues and loans through international financial institutions, seek a U.N. arms embargo against Sudan and downgrade diplomatic relations.
Oil, say many observers and analysts, has exacerbated the conflict which over 20 years has resulted in an estimated two million dead and displaced some four million people. The country is now producing about 240,000 barrels a day, according to a U.S. State department fact sheet, "yielding revenues estimated to be as high as $1.2 billion per year."
Both sides have made "significant progress negotiating a just and comprehensive peace," and "negotiations should continue," Bush said in a statement.
"There is "still much work remaining," said Bush, citing "sporadic military activities, primarily but not exclusively by the government [that] have hindered [peace] efforts and must stop."
In a statement issued by the Sudanese embassy in Washington, the government of Sudan said it "welcomes" Bush's assessment and "believes that President Bush's certification will give momentum to the peace process in Sudan."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Despite remaining difficulties over finding a formula for power sharing and wealth sharing, administration officials are now suggesting the possibility of a comprehensive peace deal within months. One senior administration official, speaking on background, predicted such a settlement deal by late June. "It's a touchdown!" he exuberantly declared of efforts by the East Africa regional group IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development), strongly backed by a "troika" of the United States, United Kingdom and Norway, led by Kenyan negotiator, the Army Commander Lieutenant-General Lazarus Sumbeiywo.
The official claimed there had been progress on humanitarian access to large portions of the country and meaningful steps toward a power-sharing arrangement.
A June peace settlement "will not be feasible," chief mediator Sumbeiywo told the Reuters news agency last week. A new round of talks will resume on May 2 to discuss power and wealth sharing. And at a later, still-unspecified date, talks on security arrangements will begin.
