Sudan's "remarkable" collaboration on information sharing with the U.S.

An AFP report entitled "Pat on back for Sudan" says the US removed Sudan from a list of countries considered to be uncooperative in the war on terrorism. The report, dated May 20 2004, is filed here for future reference. It reveals that:

(1) US Secretary of State Colin Powell made the announcement while demanding that Sudanese authorities allow unrestricted humanitarian access to nearly 1 million western Sudanese who had been uprooted by conflict;

(2) Sudan remains on the US department's list of state sponsors of terrorism, despite its removal from the second terrorism list, designed for countries which are "noncooperative" on terrorism. Four other countries remained on the list: Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Libya.

Also, the report states:

US official Boucher said Sudan was dropped from the list of countries not co-operating on terrorism because of its "remarkable" collaboration on information sharing with the US. Powell's action moves Sudan a step towards eligibility for receiving US military equipment. But the ban on such transfers remains in effect because the country is still regarded as a state sponsor of terrorism. Boucher said Sudan harboured Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both listed as terrorist groups.

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VIEW: China's African safari by Paul Mooney

"If sanctions were to block oil from Iran and Sudan, China would be forced to scramble to find other sources, which could be problematic. The question is whether or not Beijing is willing to sacrifice oil and its African partnerships to salvage its international image as a responsible global force," writes Paul Mooney in the Pakistan Daily Times. See full article.

Paul Mooney, a freelance journalist, has been reporting on China for 15 years. The above article appeared in YaleGlobal Online (www.yaleglobal.yale.edu), a publication of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. Copyright (c) 2003 Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.
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QUOTATION OF THE DAY

"We were more generous when we were less rich. It is beyond me why we are so stingy, really."

"We are ahead of the technological revolution now logistically. But in terms of the moral climate, we are still in the medieval ages."

- Jan Egeland: The man who makes a difference. Read his profile courtesy Independent UK.