[allAfrica.com] [celtel.com] State Dept. Spokesman Boucher Briefs Reporters On Sudan United States Department of State (Washington, DC) DOCUMENT May 25, 2004 Posted to the web May 26, 2004 Washington, DC Says leaders expect to be able to sign protocols May 26 State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher May 25 briefed reporters on the situation in Sudan at the department's daily briefing. Following is an excerpt of his remarks: MR. BOUCHER: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. If I can, I thought I'd begin by just kind of adding a little bit to what the Secretary said about Sudan outside. The Secretary talked to both of the principal leaders in the talks on Sudan, Dr. Garang and Vice President Taha, on Sunday, and they both told the Secretary that they expected to be able to sign the protocols, the three key protocols, on Wednesday. It still looks like they're on track to do that. They continue to tell us that they're going to be able to sign tomorrow. I'd say, generally, we've moved from sort of this far apart to fingers crossed like this, but we have sent Acting Assistant Secretary Charles Snyder out to participate in the ceremony. He arrives in Nairobi this evening. And so we certainly hope, expect and look forward to a conclusion tomorrow of the three protocols that have dealt with the key outstanding issues. That's the protocol on power-sharing, the protocol on Abyei, and the protocol on the two areas, that's of the Nuba Mountains and the Southern Blue Nile. The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development has issued invitations for the signing of those three protocols that were negotiated in Naivasha, Kenya. Following -- let me say, once signed, these documents represent major milestones on the road to a peaceful settlement of Sudan's civil war. So we certainly, as I said, hope and expect that will happen tomorrow. And then, finally, following the signing of these three protocols, the parties then begin, within a couple weeks, to discuss the specific security arrangements and other details of implementation. QUESTION: Richard, on Wednesday, the Africa Bureau was sending someone to Darfur, we were told last Friday, and obviously there's a connection but not a direct connection between the situation there and the overall situation. Could you address that? Is that still the terrible situation it was just a few days ago? MR. BOUCHER: Yeah, the situation in Darfur remains a very, very difficult one. It's a terrible situation for the people there. We have continued to make very strong efforts to try to provide assistance. We expect our first Disaster Assistance Team members to arrive in Darfur on Wednesday or Thursday. While travel permits are no longer required, team members still have to give 48 or 72 hours' notice before traveling, and so they'll be going into Darfur on Wednesday or Thursday. I would point out that since the beginning of the crisis, since February 2003, we have provided over 81,000 metric tons of food, worth a total of $72 million through the World Food Program. So what is being done has a lot to do with U.S. help. More recently, we have airlifted 21 million in non-food commodities; nine airlifts since May 1st. And that's to provide shelter for almost 250,000 people. Oh, let me correct myself, 20,000 -- 21 million in non-food commodities is the total value. The nine airlifts come to something over a million dollars. QUESTION: You spoke confidently of assistance getting through. As of Friday, there was still apprehension in this building because, you know, previous assurances had not worked out that they would not interfere, the government would not interfere with -- MR. BOUCHER: No, those problems remain. We've seen a high level of militia attacks in recent -- in recent weeks. That's still a major concern about the attacks on the militia and the violence that they're perpetrating. That prevents aid from reaching the recipients, and in some cases, makes the recipients even not want to receive things because it makes them vulnerable to theft and pillaging. The United States is continuing to press all the parties to abide by the cease- fire. We're also working to keep the issue before the United Nations Security Council. We've been working up there on the possibility of a Presidential Statement on Darfur. That continues to work. And we're looking for the council to be ready to take appropriate action if the situation there doesn't improve. So we remain in the basic problem that there is a terrible situation in Darfur that we need to get the people in there to try to help take care of it, to help take care of the people in Darfur, and we're now on the verge of getting some people in there. QUESTION: I'm sorry. One last one. MR. BOUCHER: And that the supplies that we've been able to get in have gone to some people in some places, but we're nowhere near the -- in the position that we'd like to be in, which is to be able to take care of all of the people who are at risk. QUESTION: Do you have a date on the Presidential Statement? Again, we had heard it was to happen, but we didn't know when. MR. BOUCHER: It's currently being discussed. We'd like to see it as early as possible this week, but I don't have an exact date. QUESTION: Okay. MR. BOUCHER: Teri. QUESTION: You said that you'll have to take further action if the situation doesn't improve. But it's been months and months and months now. So what sort of -- I don't know -- milestone do you want to reach in Darfur before you do say you need to take further action? MR. BOUCHER: Well, first of all, we'll continue to press. We are continuing to press very hard for the kind of access, the kind of delivery that we need, and we're getting these -- QUESTION: That's only about the food. That's not stopping the violence, which is -- MR. BOUCHER: We're trying to do both, to the kind of delivery means, the kind of peaceful situation where we can deliver. We have been pressing very hard on the government. We'll continue to press hard on the government. I think the Secretary has also made clear that we are not in a position to provide the kind of benefits or assistance that might flow from a peace agreement if the situation in Darfur persists. And so that -- that has been made clear as well. QUESTION: Richard, in Naivasha, if, in fact -- and I'm sure you are all holding your breath -- this --they do go ahead and sign these three protocols tomorrow, will that complete, will that fulfill the pledge that the two sides made to the Secretary back in October, that they would have a comprehensive settlement by the end of 2003? MR. BOUCHER: Well, it won't be by the end of 2003. QUESTION: Yeah. But is this -- MR. BOUCHER: But these are the three big issues that we were looking to have resolved. QUESTION: Will this -- five months later? MR. BOUCHER: There is -- yeah, it would complete that process that we were looking at, with a proviso that they still have to work out some of the arrangements, then, that flow from this agreement that the parties have to sit down and put in place as well. QUESTION: Was not the pledge that they made to the Secretary in October that they would have the whole thing, including with these arrangements, done by December 31st? Wasn't that supposed to be the whole enchilada at that point, not just part of it? MR. BOUCHER: I think this is essentially the enchilada, whether it's -- from every agreement, then, there flow implementation arrangements that have to be put together. That's the next stage. But in terms of negotiating, this is what we were negotiating, these are the -- the resolution of the issues. This would resolve the remaining issues. QUESTION: All right. Now the last time that you announced that Assistant Secretary Snyder was flying out to the talks, you also announced at the same time that the two sides had said -- this was about, what, three weeks ago? MR. BOUCHER: Yeah. There was a Monday when they were going to sign, as well, I remember. So that's why we've got our fingers crossed. QUESTION: Right. He was -- but the last time he was going out to help them write -- to turn oral agreements into the written agreements, he obviously has come back in that time. What he -- before he left the -- before he left the last time, had the -- were those things all hammered out? MR. BOUCHER: I don't -- no, the agreement wasn't reached when he last approached -- QUESTION: Well, I guess my -- MR. BOUCHER: Let me remind you of a couple things. One, we have a senior diplomat there all the time, so we fly in our Assistant Secretary when he thinks he can be of particular use, but we always have senior diplomats there, have except for, I think, a brief weekend period once, where we do work on the details together with the Kenyan mediators. Second of all, they are reporting to us that they have agreement, that they have documents to be signed tomorrow. QUESTION: Okay, so you're -- MR. BOUCHER: So that's what we hear from the negotiators. But, as always, we have our -- we want to make sure it happens. QUESTION: But your understanding is, then, that the writing down of everything is completed -- MR. BOUCHER: That's what we hear. QUESTION: -- except for the signatures? MR. BOUCHER: Yeah. QUESTION: Richard, you said if the situation persists that will, of course, hamper efforts to forward humanitarian aid and so on. What will you do if the situation persists, and do you have, like, a window on how long the situation must persist before you do whatever you -- MR. BOUCHER: Well, I mean, that's really the question I was asked before. And there are -- first of all, there's a consistent effort on our part, on the part of the international community, and we're trying to add to that with the effort on behalf of the United Nations to press the government to allow access, to press the government to use their influence to stop the militias and to work with everybody in the region to try to ensure that we take care of the people there, and that effort will continue -- QUESTION: But you don't have a timetable, like three months, six months, nine months? MR. BOUCHER: The humanitarian needs, unfortunately, do have a timetable. It's getting worse and worse. The rains are coming, which hampers distribution. And it's a very dire situation, continues to be. And that's why the pressure needs to be very strong and we're continuing to make it strong. QUESTION: The rains are coming. They haven't arrived yet? MR. BOUCHER: I don't think so, at least not in a way that our people have reported makes things impossible. QUESTION: I don't know if you know this offhand. We were told there were 12 separate sets of U.S. sanctions on Sudan. Do you know if any of them, meaning, essentially, I'm asking if any relief automatically will come the government's way if there is a signing? MR. BOUCHER: I would have to check, but I'm not -- first of all, I don't think we've made any promises at this point. And second of all, I don't want to count the chickens before they hatch. I don't want to say that something's going to happen till we know that the agreements have been signed.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2004 United States Department of State. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================