عضو كونغرس يشارك في تظاهرة اليوم أمام مكتب محامي البشير بواشنطن- فيديو

QUESTION: Some Sudan activist groups and at least one congressman, Frank Wolf, locally, are very upset over a decision by the Administration to allow Sudan to engage a lawyer to represent its interests on things like sanctions. They suggest it’s improper, that it’s maybe even immoral because of the government’s record. What do you have to say to that sort of thing?

MS. NULAND: Well, I think there has been a little bit of misunderstanding here as well. First of all, let me just make clear that no U.S. licenses have been issued to allow lobbying by the Government of Syria.

QUESTION: Sudan.

MS. NULAND: Government of Sudan, sorry. Start it again. No U.S. licenses have been issued to allow lobbying by the Government of Sudan. The State Department has a firm policy of recommending to the Treasury Department, which has to issue these OFAC licenses, the denial of all license applications that seek to lobby on behalf of the Government of Sudan.

That said, I’m going to send you to Treasury with regard to what precisely they did approve with regard to this individual. But it was not for the allowance – allowing of lobbying on behalf of the government.

QUESTION: Can I ask you why that is? Why do you have a policy of recommending denial? I mean, weren’t – wasn’t Sudan, Khartoum, supposed to reap some kind of benefit from allowing the secession of the South? I mean, wasn’t there any plus in there for them?

MS. NULAND: Well, again, these are the kinds of issues that are in the roadmap that we agreed to, and as our two briefers discussed, I think it was Tuesday when we had Raj Shah here and we had Princeton Lyman, we have serious concerns about the continuing violence along the border and about Government of Sudan policy there. And until we can get some peace there, it’s going to be difficult for us to move forward with our half of the roadmap when they’re not moving forward with their half.

Please.

QUESTION: The Secretary yesterday accused the government of Khartoum of raiding and bombardment and across the border raids, and so on. Do you have any information on that?

MS. NULAND: Well again, I would refer you to the comments that Princeton Lyman made on the record, I think it was Tuesday. I think he was pretty full and clear with regard to our concerns in Blue Nile and Kordofan and Abyei, and (inaudible), and in Darfur. So --

QUESTION: Thank you.

MS. NULAND: Okay?