Letter To US President, Dec 2000

Literature 

 President - Elect

G.W. Bush

C/O General C. Powel, Foreign Secretary

 Dear Mr. President

 Congratulations for a victorious election results, and many happy returns for Christmas and the New Year.

Sudan has been bedeviled by a long ranging Civil War since 1963, and an Islamic Totalitarianism since 1989. Between these, the two curses have almost destroyed the country. However, since 1999 the present Regime has indicated a change of policy on four fundamental issues:

FIRST: That it is prepared to wind up its Holy War Policy towards the current Civil War and to opt for Peace along lines acceptable to the other side. Namely, it would accept the following radical principles:-

1)                           To specify that Citizenship not Religious identity will be the basis of Constitutional Rights in the country.

2)                           To recognize the country's Cultural and Religious plurality.

3)                           The redistribution of National wealth on an equitable basis.

4)                           Balanced participation in Power under a Democratic System.

5)                           Real Federal devolution of Constitutional and Administrative Powers.

6)                           To form a Transition National Government for four years after which plebiscite will be held for Self-Determination.`       

7)                           To negotiate an Agreement establishing these reforms with all the parties to the conflict in the presence of Regional and International observation which would enhance confidence and ensure efficient implementation of the Agreement.

SECOND: That it is prepared for a Democratic Transition through Constitutional and Legal Reforms, which would:

1)                                    Guarantee the four Basic Freedoms.

2)                                    Guarantee Human Rights as spelt out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

3)                                    Restructure the institutions of the State to ensure their National non-Partisan Identity.

4)                                    Establish a Truth and Justice Commission to cater for complaints about injustices and abuses.

THIRD: That it will engage in a Regional Policy based upon Good Neighborliness.

FOURTH: That Foreign Policy will pursue International Peace and Development, and respect International Legitimacy.

My Party, the Umma Party, which was the country's largest political organization according to the last held Free General Elections in Sudan, April 1986,and which is the country's Number One Opposition Party currently, has reached a Preliminary Agreement endorsing, among other reforms, these four principles in November 1999.Since then, we engaged the Regime in negotiations to detail that Agreement. We hope that our endeavors will narrow the gap between the Regime and the Opposition, and prepare the ground for an All-Party Round-Table Conference, which would establish a Comprehensive Political Agreement. Such a forum has been suggested by the joint Egyptian-Libyan Mediation Initiative of August 1999. This Initiative surpassed the other Regional Initiative, the IGAD Initiative of 1994, because the IGAD Initiative dwelt with only two Parties to the conflict, and recognized only one aspect of the conflict, the North/South Civil War. All the Sudanese Parties to the conflict welcomed the Egyptian-Libyan Joint Initiative. The Umma Party, being the most enthusiastic supporter of that Joint Initiative has written a letter to the Two Foreign Ministers concerned in 28^th of August 2000 suggesting four steps to enhance the effectiveness of the Joint Initiative. Namely,

(i)                                                                That the two States declare that they would bless whatever Agreement the Sudanese Parties to the conflict should reach.

(ii)                                                              That they should invite Sudan's Horn of Africa neighbors to join their mediation effort.

(iii)                                                            That they should invite the States of the IGAD Partner's Forum to participate as observers.

(iv)                                                            That they should establish instruments for the mediation mechanism, namely appoint a Special Envoy, a Secretariat, a Fund, and so on.

Although we have commended the role of the outgoing American Administration's concern for Human Rights in Sudan, and generous Humanitarian Aid for the Peoples of the Sudan, we find the policies of that Administration towards the Sudan, during the last eighteen months, counterproductive for the causes of Peace and Democratic Transformation in Sudan, and detrimental to American Sudanese People's Relations.

          The policies of the outgoing American Administration towards Sudan during the last eighteen months have:

(A)                                    Sought to kill the Egyptian- Libyan Initiative without providing any alternative forum for Comprehensive negotiations between the parties to the conflict in Sudan.

(B)                                    Failed to recognize the four changes in the policies of the Regime, which I have outlined above. And proceeded to deal with the Regime as if it espoused its old Ideological Totalitarian Agenda.

(C)                                   Rightly condemned the Regime's bombing of civilian targets in the South, and other transgressions, but failed to condemn the transgressions of the other party to the conflict (the SPLA) particularly its unilateral break of cease fire.

(D)                                   Refrained from giving any financial aid to the Sudanese opposition (The NDA) during the darkest time of the Regime's Totalitarianism, and withheld direct military aid to the SPLA when the Regime was engaged in the Holy War Campaigns. However, during this last year, when the Regime began to reform itself, the outgoing American Administration decided to offer financial aid to buttress NDA intransigence, and supply the SPLA with direct military aid to escalate the military conflict.

(E)                                    Consequently, the policies of the outgoing American Administration towards the Sudan has discouraged Peace making and Democratic Transformation in Sudan.

There were times when the present Regime in Sudan pursued oppressive policies, which would justify condemnatory measures. However, that position is changing and there is a Peace and Democratization dynamic in process in Sudan today. That process cannot be guaranteed to reach its destiny. It is necessary to establish a chain of National, Regional and International pressures to remove all the obstacles in the way of the Peace and Democratization Process in the Sudan.

The U.S. of America is looked up to by the Peoples of the Sudan and the world at large to be the major supporter for peace making, Democratic Transformation, and Development in the World.

Therefore, we the Peoples of Sudan, look forward to your Administration to:

                          Review U.S. Policy towards the Sudan,

                           Redress the uneven one-sided policy of the outgoing Administration.

(iii)                Consult with all Sudanese parties to the conflict.

(iv)                Establish U.S.A. policy towards Peace making and Democratic Transformation in Sudan in the position expected of its Moral, Strategic, and International responsibility.

Towards that end, I assure you Mr. President, your Foreign Secretary, and all the officers you choose to appoint, of our utmost cooperation.

I am yours faithfully

Al Sadig Al Mahdi

Elected Prime Minister 1986

Umma Party President

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