Sudan's Bashir rules out retreat from explusion of NGOs

U.S. President Barack Obama is urging Sudan's government to let recently expelled humanitarian aid groups return to the country. Mr. Obama is sending an envoy to Khartoum this week to make his case.

On his way back home today (Wednesday, 01 April) from an Arab summit held March 30-31 in Doha, Qatar, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir visited the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to implement Ummar (informal pilgrimage) and met Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

"We will not retreat from the expulsion of the organizations because they were a front of the western intelligence," the Sudanese president told reporters at the Khartoum airport while returning from the Qatari capital Doha after attending an Arab summit.

April 2, 2009 report by Xinhua (Web Editor Xu Liuliu):
Sudanese President Rules Out Retreat from Expulsion of Foreign NGOs

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ruled out Wednesday a retreat from his decision to expel 13 foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) accused by Khartoum of passing false information to the International Criminal Court ( ICC).

"We will not retreat from the expulsion of the organizations because they were a front of the western intelligence," the Sudanese president told reporters at the Khartoum airport while returning from the Qatari capital Doha after attending an Arab summit.

Al-Bashir launched again a violent attack on the NGOs which had been ordered by the Sudanese authorities to leave the country after accusing them of being involved in activities threatening the national security of Sudan.

"These organizations were not humanitarian, but sought to destabilize the country and some had signed confidentiality agreements with the International Criminal Court," he said.

He reaffirmed that the arrest warrant issued against him by the ICC would not limit his internal and external movements, saying " we participated in the Arab summit to confirm that the decision of the court would not limit our actions, and I'm leaving for anywhere when it is necessary."

He described the Arab summit in Doha as "successful", adding that "this summit has deepened the Arab reconciliation and created a mechanism for a joint Arab action after overcoming some of the differences that have negatively impacted the Arab world in the past."

On his way back home, the Sudanese president visited the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to implement Ummar (informal pilgrimage) and met Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz.

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March 31, 2009 Voice of America report by Kent Klein, White House:
Obama Urges Sudan to Allow Aid Groups to Return

U.S. President Barack Obama is urging Sudan's government to let recently expelled humanitarian aid groups return to the country. Mr. Obama is sending an envoy to Khartoum this week to make his case.

Despite the urgency of the global financial crisis and the failing U.S. auto industry, President Obama says attention must be paid to the humanitarian disaster in Sudan's western region of Darfur.

"I wanted us to make sure that we were not losing sight of something that has been an ongoing international crisis, and that is the situation in Darfur," he said.

The International Criminal Court recently issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity in Darfur. Afterward, Mr. Bashir expelled 13 non-governmental organizations he accuses of plotting with the court.

Before leaving for Europe, Mr. Obama said Monday the Sudanese leader's actions have caused a crisis.

"We have an immediate crisis prompted by the Khartoum government's expulsion of non-governmental organizations that are providing aid to displaced persons inside of Sudan," he said.

Mr. Obama said immediate action is needed to prevent the humanitarian situation from growing worse.

"We have to figure out a mechanism to get those NGO's back in place, to reverse that decision, or to find some mechanism whereby we avert an enormous humanitarian crisis," he said.

The president has appointed a special envoy, retired Air Force Major General Scott Gration, and is sending him to Khartoum this week to urge the Sudanese government to allow the aid groups to return.

Mr. Obama discussed the issue in meetings with activists and members of Congress.