واشنطن .. مدينة لا تعرف الأسرار .. اليكم أهم بعضها هذين اليومين

Quote: QUESTION: On Sudan, you took a question earlier this week regarding a letter from Congressman Wolf [see here] expressing his objection over the Obama Administration's invitation of the Sudanese presidential advisor, Nafie Ali Nafie. MR. VENTRELL: Yeah. QUESTION: Can you confirm receipt of that letter? MR. VENTRELL: So we have seen the letter from Congressman Wolf. We're aware of the allegation, and we're not under any illusions about this delegation or any of the other senior leaders of the regime. However, we believe that engagements with this delegation can advance our policy goals in Sudan, and if we don't make our arguments directly to the Sudanese, who influence and direct their country's policy, our ability to affect change will be limited. So this engagement can set the stage for a continuing dialogue on a peaceful, sustainable resolution to the conflicts and governance issues throughout Sudan. QUESTION: So you're under no illusion about Mr. Nafie Ali Nafie, but nonetheless he is still invited to come to the United States as part of that delegation. MR. VENTRELL: And again, we agreed to receive the delegation. They expressed an interest in meeting, and we've invited the delegation to travel to Washington following their initial expression of interest.... ...QUESTION: Is there any reason why the U.S. would be comfortable issuing a visa to Mr. Nafie? I mean, doesn't that erode the U.S. credibility by doing so? Why can't you say to the Sudanese, "Yes, you can send a delegation, but you need to send someone else"? MR. VENTRELL: We adjudicate visas based on applicable visa law. I don't have any information on this specific case or specific allegations, but we certainly adjudicate all the visas based on the law. QUESTION: Certainly, human rights groups that advocate for better conditions in Sudan and along the border with South Sudan are quite dismayed that the U.S. may, in essence, raise -- remove all of its pressure on the Bashir government by allowing Mr. Nafie to come in. MR. VENTRELL: We're - look, we're under no illusions about a specific individual or the leadership of the regime as a whole. But we are going to pursue this engagement.