يا "واصل" إذا كنت فعلا صحفى وتتعامل بمهنية إحترافية لماذ لم تنقل مؤتمر غرايشن الصحفى فى واشنطن!

United States Department of State (Washington, DC) Sudan: Foreign Press Center Briefing With Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration 11 January 2010 (Page 3 of 4) Click to learn more... MR. GRATION: Yes, really, we’ll leave the decision of the African Union to them. I will just say that from our point of view, we believe that any solution in Sudan, especially in Darfur, where there were mass atrocities and people need to have restitution and justice, we believe that any long-term solution will have to have accountability and will have to have a component of justice. The details are still being worked out. President Mbeki and the high-level panel have proposed some options of courts and hybrid courts, and we support the ICC and have urged the Sudanese to put forth the information that the ICC is requesting. MODERATOR: South Africa, last question, please. QUESTION: David Smith of The Guardian newspaper from the UK. What do you think, in your own view, would be the implications of a yes vote in the referendum? What would it mean for resources such as oil? What would it mean for neighboring countries? Would it be stabilizing or destabilizing? MR. GRATION: Yes, David, it’s a question that we’re all concerned with, and one that we spend a lot of time working on. Obviously, birthing of a nation is tough in any situation. It’s especially tough when you look at the history of Sudan. Since independence, the country has had wars for almost 40 years. The CPA ended 22 years of a civil war between the north and the south. So there’s a legacy here, a history here that makes birthing a new nation tough. The other thing that is a factor is that much of the infrastructure is run by nongovernmental agencies right now. And over the past five years while the south has done a great job in being able to set up an autonomous government at the national – or at their southern level and also in their states, there’s more that must be done to set up a system of governance, to set up the social infrastructure, to come up with other ways of earning wealth besides just oil, whether they be industry, agribusiness, ecotourism. These are yet to be explored. Just things like education – when you’re dealing with a population that at best is 15 to 20 percent literate, when you’re dealing with a healthcare system that is not coordinated, that does not reach all the citizens, these are issues that have to be dealt with. And so we all must work together to help Sudan have as best start as it can if it decides to become independent. And this will mean that it’s going to take a lot of effort on behalf of the diaspora, on behalf of the neighboring countries and the international community to ensure that this country is birthed successfully and that it can be sustainable. We believe it’s possible, but we’re under no illusions that it won’t be very difficult. And that’s why we are working now to resolve the issues of post-2011, to grapple with the outcomes and the possibilities and the scenarios that could result from a vote for independence. We believe that right now, we have to start thinking about these issues. We believe that right now, we have to do the requisite training, that right now, we have to start building the infrastructures that will make southern Sudan successful if it decides to become independent. This is a tough challenge, but it’s reality. It could happen on the 9th of July of 2011. That means we only have 18 months to prepare for this eventuality, and we have no option but to succeed. If we don’t succeed, the ramifications in terms of civil war, in terms of refugees, displacement, and other disastrous consequences are so dire, it’s hard to imagine. Therefore, we have really no option but to dedicate ourselves anew to push in every way we can to ensure that if the Sudanese decide to become independent, that we do everything we can to ensure they’re successful – a successful state for themselves, for Sudan, and for the region. MODERATOR: Thank you, South Africa. We go to Washington now. Yes, please, Brian. QUESTION: I’m Brian Beary. I’m from Europolitics, a European affairs news daily based in Brussels. I believe you were in Brussels recently discussing with the EU and what they could do. I’m just wondering, could you tell us a little bit about what you see Europe’s role in this? And just going back a little bit to the question on the International Criminal Court, I mean, is this a factor at all in the north-south issue? I know that the EU, for example, is always very pro-International Criminal Court, and I’m just wondering if that issue has come up in the conversations with respect to the north-south issue. MR. GRATION: Thank you very much. We believe that the EU has a very important role in Sudan now and in the future. In terms of the near term, as we prepare for the elections, we would encourage the EU to provide the election monitors that have been discussed, upwards of 300, that will allow us to have the transparency, to have the monitoring that we need to ensure a credible election. We really are requesting the EU to consider that very favorably. In addition to that, it will take a great deal of resources, financial resources, to be able to put this election on and the referendum on. Much of these resources will need to come from the international partners, of which the EU will be a significant donor. We urge them to become involved. In the long term, the development of the infrastructures that I talked about, the development of governance, of government that I discussed cannot be done without the participation of the Europeans and the European Union. We have very close relations with the Contact Group, with the Troika. The Troika had a very important role in birthing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Naivasha in 2005, and we are working with Norway and the UK to continue to provide the support that the CPA needs to be fully implemented. But we believe that – so we believe that the European Union is an important partnership and a key element to ensuring that not only the elections and referendum take place as scheduled and in a credible way, but also that the future of Sudan continues to be bright. In terms of the ICC and all that, our mandate really is to save lives and to help the Sudan be birthed in a way that it can be successful and it can thrive and be prosperous. Right now, we are working very hard in Darfur and in the south to put into place those things that are required to save lives and make a brighter future. That doesn’t mean that we’re not interested in accountability and justice. Those things will come when the time is right. Next question. MODERATOR: Yes, please. Tulin. QUESTION: Great. Thank you, General Gration. This is Tulin Daloglu with Haberturk, a Turkish daily newspaper. I want to follow up on the EU question, but just from the perspective of Turkey. How do you see the Turkish role in this situation, and can you specifically talk about the differences that you do have with the Turkish position on what is happening in Sudan? As far as I know, the Ankara government do not think what happens in Sudan – does not count as a genocide. And how does it play in the bigger picture in this issue? If you can talk about it, I’ll appreciate. Thank you. Relevant Links * East Africa * North Africa * Sudan * U.S., Canada and Africa * Peacekeeping * International Organisations * Conflict MR. GRATION: Yes. Frankly, I have not visited Turkey on this issue, although I lived there for five years, so I would love to find an opportunity to visit. So I really haven’t had much to do with Turkey or Turkey’s involvement in Sudan. I am not aware of many initiatives that the Turkish Government has in Sudan, so really difficult for me to speak. But I will take that as a question and I will continue to probe this and I’ll try to find out exactly an answer not only to your question, but how Turkey will play in how we see the international community getting involved in Sudan. So thank you very much. MODERATOR: Yes. Frederick, please. QUESTION: Thank you, sir. I’m Frederick Nnoma-Addison, AMIP News. Two questions if I may. The first one is that Sudan is bordered by an unusually large number of countries, at least six or seven – Egypt, Chad, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia – is that helping or hurting the transition process in any way? And then secondly, you described America as playing a leadership and support role. Could you emphasize a little bit on exactly what it’s doing? Is it a provision of money, is it oversight, or what? Thank you