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| Africa Horn |
| Arabs Praise Arab League's Call to Give Arab Killers More Time in Darfur |
| 2004-08-10 |
| From BBC News Papers in the Middle East have broadly welcomed the Arab League's attempts to resolve the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan within the Arab fold. [They] argue that Arabs must unite to fight the "conspiracy" against Sudan. Suspicion of US motives and possible foreign intervention in the region continues to be widespread. .... The Arab initiative to help Sudan is welcomed by the UAE's Al-Bayan, but the paper attacks the prospect of intervention from beyond. "Let those who are conspiring against Sudan understand that the Arab effort in Cairo is not just to assist Sudan in confronting the Darfur crisis, but also to lift the suffering of the region." .... Al-Bayan is also critical of the United Nations' resolution that requires that the Sudanese government disarm the Arab Janjaweed militia and restore order by the end of August. "The UN resolution, and the international warning, do not give Khartoum enough time to resolve the Darfur crisis." Oman's pro-government Oman also attacks the end-of-August deadline imposed on Sudan while expressing support for Khartoum's position. "There are those who are conspiring against Sudan because they don't want it to live in peace... Without doubt, the Sudanese government's reaction to the UN Security Council resolution, despite its reservations, was a wise one." According to the Saudi centrist Ukaz, "Sudanese voices calling for unity have sharpened in a bid to confront any armed foreign intervention to resolve the Darfur crisis." The Saudi pro-government paper Al-Riyadh focuses its criticism on what it sees as a lack of Arab unity as well as an American desire to insert itself in the region. ... "Sudan is the next meal, which is also in the hands of experienced chefs, particularly at a time when the race for the White House is on." Sudan's Al-Ra'i Al-Am also attacks the United States. "America wants to give its intervention in Sudan a moral cover. However, its intervention will be its great loss. ... A Sudanese fights with the faith that if he dies, he is a martyr with paradise awaiting him. This is the most sublime goal of his jihad. As for the American soldier, what does he hope to achieve with his death? He fights with no objective and a keenness to remain alive. A mujahid is keen on death." In Egypt's pro-government Al-Ahram, a commentary, while acknowledging the human tragedy, wonders whether Sudan will be able to avoid being subject to "foreign ambitions .... No-one can deny that the government of Sudan has tried to tackle this tragic situation... [But] will Darfur and Sudan be saved through reform or will they be subject to foreign ambitions and interests?" |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |