Daily Darfur: State Dept Begins to Mop Up Gration's Mess

I've become one of those DC dorks who looks forward to the arrival of the daily State Department press briefing transcripts in my inbox. On Friday, reporters grilled the spokesman on US Special Envoy Scott Gration's rather unfortunate remarks at a Senate hearing on Sudan last week:

QUESTION: Yesterday, on the Hill, the special envoy for Sudan said that there was no evidence to support the designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, said that sanctions were hurting his ability to do his job and they weren't effective. And I'm wondering, since the building didn't have a reaction to this yesterday, I'm wondering what the reaction is today.

MR. CROWLEY: There is a comprehensive policy review that is going on regarding Sudan. Obviously, there are a number of issues attached to that. Obviously, the situation in Darfur is critically important, as is implementation of the Comprehensive North-South Peace Agreement, the resolution of which will fundamentally affect the future of Sudan. We have a number of bilateral issues with Sudan - obviously, terrorism being a crucial one. We have received improved counterterrorism cooperation with Sudan in recent years. So that process is ongoing, and I would expect it to be completed in the coming weeks.

QUESTION: Okay. Thinking back on your answer, I'm not sure you answered my question.

Mr Crowley went on to dodge a point-blank question on whether or not the Administration agrees with Gration's assessment that sanctions should be lifted and Sudan should be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, stating simply that the long-awaited policy review is still on-going.  The reporter pushes again:

QUESTION: I'm still not getting the answer to my question. Does the Administration agree with what General Gration said yesterday on the Hill?

More of the same evasive dancing to avoid answering a straightforward question followed. The quintessential art of politics, I suppose. I agree with Bec's reaction.

The Secretary of State herself was asked the same question at a photo session on Friday, and responded:

"We have made no decision to lift the listing on the terrorist list of Sudan," Clinton said at the State Department Friday during a picture-taking session. "As you know there is a very intensive review going on within the Administration concerning our policy toward Sudan, but no decisions have been made."

The last word about Gration's testimony this morning goes to Michael Kevane, who points too a particularly poorly-handled answer to a question about the definition of genocide.

Disturbing News from Mohamed

From Mohamed Suleiman, the vigilant blogger at While We Wait (and right here, on Saturdays):

"Urgent: In a phone call from ElFasher, it is reported that the Army, Security Forces, Janjaweed, are surrounding the IDP camp called Nivasha (near Elfasher). It is reported that the leader of the camp (Omdah) and his wife were killed by the troops of GoS."

Radio Dabanga and Mohamed both report that the government of Sudan is cracking down on internet usage in Darfur, raiding internet cafes, arresting students, and interrogating IT techs.

Quickies

Uganda's Daily Monitor reports that the government of South Sudan warned Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni that his country faced "grave danger" if he complied with the ICC arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

The UN World Food Programme is facing a critical shortage of funds, and may have to ground humanitarian flights as a result.

A senior Egyptian official, speaking to a group of youth from his party, said that the Darfur crisis is "artificial," and threw his support behind Bashir:

"President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir is the elected official from the Sudanese people and therefore has the full legitimacy," he said.

I do believe, however, that Mr. Bashir came to power in a coup. The last elections, in 2000, are widely viewed as a sham.

[Photo from AP: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton holds a joint news conference with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, Friday, July 31,2009, at the State Department in Washington.]