Showing posts with label Royal British Legion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Royal British Legion. Show all posts

Friday, November 19, 2010

British Ambassador in Khartoum Nicholas Kay is blogging the drama and scale of the change taking place in Sudan

THE British government's Foreign & Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, has started a blog about the work of the British Ambassador to Sudan. The blog is authored by Nicholas Kay CMG, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Sudan. Mr Kay (pictured below) arrived in Khartoum to take up his role as HM Ambassador to Sudan on 29 May 2010. Here is a copy of his first two blog posts followed by several related reports.



The drama and scale of the change taking place in Sudan
Source: UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website - http://blogs.fco.gov.uk
Written by: Nicholas Kay British Ambassador to Sudan, Khartoum
Posted: Wednesday, 10 November 2010 by Nicholas Kay
When people think of Sudan, they tend to think of suffering, violence and poverty. And sadly, based on most of the recent decades, that image is not far wrong. But I hope in this blog to share with you a slightly altered image and to convey the drama and scale of the change that is taking place in Sudan.

I am a reluctant blogger. But far from a reluctant Ambassador. Professionally there is no other country I'd wish to be in than Sudan today. It is possible that Africa's largest country will divide into two over the coming months. The people of Southern Sudan will decide on that in a referendum in January. The implications for both north and south Sudan, for the region and for the work of the British Government are far-reaching.

I have decided to start writing this blog in the hope that a view from Sudan will be of interest to a wider audience in coming months. I shall try to offer some reflections from the ground as Sudan prepares for a truly historic moment, and to explain the role the UK is playing. I shall also invite my colleagues to contribute their perspectives, especially those of our team in Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan.

Before going any further, I want to be quite explicit about the UK's approach to the referendum and possible secession of the south: our interest is exclusively in seeing the referendum happen to time, to standard and safely. Whatever the result, the people of north and south Sudan should be able to live in peace and growing prosperity. The whole of the UK government in Sudan is working to the same end. Our commitment to helping both north and south is firm today and will continue through and beyond the referendum.
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In the End Game?
Source: UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website - http://blogs.fco.gov.uk
Written by: Nicholas Kay British Ambassador to Sudan, Khartoum
Posted: Monday, 15 November 2010 by Nicholas Kay
The European Film Festival in Khartoum finished at the end of last week with the screening under the stars in the British Council gardens of "End Game", which tells the story of Thabo Mbeki's role in negotiating the end of apartheid in South Africa. As we watched, only a mile away in the centre of Khartoum, ex-President Mbeki was locked in another historic negotiation - this time mediating discussions between north and south Sudan to agree what will happen if Southern Sudan votes for independence in January.

As I write, we don't know the final outcome of the talks. But the clock - or rather the moon - is ticking. President Bashir is in Mecca for the Haj pilgrimage, and Khartoum is all but closed for business until after the Muslim holiday of Eid al Adha in the coming days. Meanwhile, voter registration for the Referendum begun this morning, on which more later.

During the past week the UK has been more active than ever in striving for a "soft landing" after the referendum. Mr Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, made a four day visit during which he worked tirelessly in his meetings with Vice Presidents, Ministers, the African Union and the United Nations to promote peace and prosperity. He advocated strongly the need for proper contingency planning in the event that violence or conflict break out. He urged (with success) Sudanese leaders to reassure publicly Southern Sudanese in the north that they will be safe whatever the outcome of the referendum and he encouraged the governments north and south to behave responsibly and seize the opportunity to transform their standing in the international community. We covered many miles over the four days, visiting Darfur (a place Mr Mitchell had visited twice before - picture below) and Juba, where he opened the UK Government's new office building in the EU compound, which will provide a great platform for the growing HMG team in Southern Sudan.

As Mr Mitchell and his team led by Sandra Pepera (Head of DFID Sudan) pushed our messages at the highest levels, the Embassy was also heavily engaged in supporting Thabo Mbeki's talks at the working level. We had experts feeding into drafting on economic, security, legal and border issues. On the last, Michael Ryder (the UK Special Representative for Sudan) was closely involved, helped by Phil Hunt, an expert from the MOD's Defence Mapping Agency, who flew into Khartoum to spend valuable time with Sudanese and international experts. Phil was able to offer an objective and well-informed view on where exactly the boundary between north and south was on 1 January 1956 (it has been agreed that any future border should be the boundary as it was at independence in 1956).

Apologies for the long blog. Not every week will be as full. But I can't finish without mentioning the wonderful Service of Remembrance organised by our Defence Attaché, Lt Col Chris Luckham, at Khartoum's Commonwealth War Cemetery on 11 November (picture below). Under bright Sudanese skies, surrounded by immaculately kept graves and lawns, nearly two hundred people from more than thirty countries gathered to pay tribute to the dead of all nations and all conflicts. It was an honour to be there and a strong reminder to me of how vital it is that together we succeed in helping Sudan heal its wounds and silence forever the guns.
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Related Reports

ENDGAME (2009)



A story based on the covert discussions that brought down the Apartheid regime in South Africa.
Director: Pete Travis
Writer: Paula Milne
Stars: William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jonny Lee Miller
Source: Nicholas Kay's blog post Thursday, 15 November 2010 / www.imdb.com/title/tt1217616/
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REMEMBRANCE SERVICE AT THE COMMONWEALTH WAR CEMETERY, KHARTOUM, SUDAN ON 11 NOVEMBER 2010



HISTORIC stuff (made me cry). Click here to view slideshow of eleven photographs, courtesy of FCO/UK in Sudan, on Flickr. Copied here below for posterity are the photographs.

Note: This blog Sudan Watch has been and will continue to be digitally archived by the British Library so will be preserved for future historians.



Wreathes. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



British Defence Attache Lt. Colonel Chris Luckham greets a representative from the Sudanese Armed Forces. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



Service of Remembrance. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



Father Joseph al Haj leads the Service of Remembrance. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



Hymn during the Service of Remembrance. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



Wreath laying. British Ambassador Nicholas Kay, a representative of the Sudanese Armed Forces and other members of the Diplomatic Corps lay wreaths on the war memorial, Khartoum. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



British Ambassador Nicholas Kay and a representative from the Sudanese Armed Forces. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



Major General Moses Bisung Obi, UNMIS Force Commander. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



UNMIS peacekeepers. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



Colonel Mike Scott, UNMIS Military Chief of Staff and Lt Colonel Umar Faroouqi laying wreathes on behalf of UNMIS peacekeepers. Photo taken at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan on Thursday, 11 November 2010.



War memorial. Wreathes upon the monument, Commonwealth War Cemetery, Khartoum, Sudan. Photo taken on Thursday, 11 November 2010.

+ + +

UK IN SUDAN



YouTube video: British Ambassador to Sudan, Nicholas Kay welcomes visitors to UK in Sudan website - http://ukinsudan.fco.gov.uk
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RARE JOINT STATEMENT:
NORTH, SOUTH SUDAN DEFENCE CHIEFS VOW NO WAR

On Thursday, 11 November 2010, the south's minister for the SPLA (the southern army) Nhial Deng Nhial appeared at a joint news conference with Sudan's national, Khartoum-based, Minister of Defence Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein.

"We wanted to send a message to our citizens, both in the north and south, that there will be no return to war. Regardless of the amount of differences they will be resolved through political dialogue. There will be no return to war," Nhial told reporters.

Click here to read full story by Reuters at af.reuters.com - Thursday, 11 November 2010: "North, south Sudan defence chiefs vow no war".



Photo: The south's minister for the SPLA (the southern army) Nhial Deng Nhial (L) at a joint news conference with Sudan's national, Khartoum-based, Minister of Defence Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein (R) Thursday, 11 November 2010. (Source: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Thursday, 11 November 2010)



Photo: Sudan's Minister of Defence Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein (R) talks to South's minister for the SPLA (the southern army) Nhial Deng Nhial (L) after a joint news conference at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Khartoum on Thursday, 11 November 2010. North and south Sudan's defence chiefs on Thursday vowed there would be no return to war in a rare joint statement that set out to defuse tensions in the countdown to a referendum on southern secession. (Source: Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Thursday, 11 November 2010)
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JEM and SLM say they cannot be threatened to join Doha Talks
Source: SRS - Sudan Radio Service - www.sudanradio.org
Date: Tuesday, 16 November 2010
(Khartoum/Doha) – The UNAMID Joint Special Representative says that there will be negative consequences if the Darfur anti-government groups, the JEM and the SLM-Abdulwahid’s faction fail to participate in the Doha talks.

Professor Ibrahim Gambari addressed a press conference in Khartoum on Sunday.

[Ibrahim Gambari]: “JEM must take this opportunity very seriously. As the members of the Sudan consultative forum which took place on the 6th of November in Addis Ababa stressed there would be very negative consequences both for the people of Darfur and for JEM as a movement if it fails to take advantage of this opportunity to the peace process.”

However, the two anti-government groups responded by saying that no one will force them to participate in the Doha peace talks.

JEM head of negotiation, Ahmed Togud Lisan told SRS on Sunday from Doha that they will only join the talks once their demands are met.

[Ahmed Togud Lisan]: “We don’t care about sanctions, we don’t care about other people’s position, what we care about is the interests of our cause and the interests of our people. When our demands are met we will join the negotiations, if not we can tell the international community and anybody who cares about the issue that, we can’t be part of a comedy and be losers at the end. The whole issue will be rearranged in a manner that the National Congress Party will be able to play a light role in.”

On the other hand, the official spokesperson of the SLM-Abdulwahid’s faction, Ahmed Ibrahim Yousif said their movement will not lose at all if sanctions are imposed on them.

[Ahmed Ibrahim Yousif]: “We the Sudan Liberation Movement we won’t lose anything. I mean we don’t have assets and we don’t have anything. No weapons are given to us from outside Sudan, nothing at all. We were threatened before after Abuja, the SLM was threatened, particularly the chairman Ustaz Mohamed Nur, but sanctions are supposed to be imposed on people who are killing others, those who are carrying mass genocide in an organized manner until now.”

That was the official spokesperson for SLM-Wahid faction, Ahmed Ibrahim Yousif speaking to SRS on Sunday.
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From The New York Times
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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Last US combat brigade exits Iraq - Give Tony Blair credit for a truly magnanimous gesture

HISTORIC news just in from the BBC. The last US combat brigade in Iraq has left the country, seven years after the US-led invasion:
The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, began crossing by land into Kuwait in the early hours of Thursday [19 August 2010], a military spokesman said.

Some 50,000 US troops will remain until the end of 2011 to advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests.

A further 6,000 support troops will be in Iraq until the end of the month, when US combat operations will end.

State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US involvement in Iraq was far from over, but that it would be less intrusive and more civilian focused.

"We are ending the war ... but we are not ending our work in Iraq. We have a long-term commitment to Iraq," he told MSNBC.

The 50,000 soldiers who will remain will be armed, but will only use their weapons in self-defence or at the request of the Iraqi government.
Full story: BBC - Last US combat brigade exits Iraq - Thursday, 19 August 2010; Last updated at 09:43 - excerpt:
Analysis
Hugh Sykes
BBC News, Baghdad

US policies early on opened the door to al-Qaeda setting up a branch in Iraq. An insurgency grew, a sectarian conflict - all this directly or indirectly because the Americans disbanded the entire Iraqi armed forces in 2003. An American soldier crossing the border said "We've won, it's over." Well, no and no.

There isn't really an Iraqi government, there is a transitional Iraqi government. The armed forces are running themselves. General Zebari, the chief of staff of the Iraqi army said the other day that it was premature for the Americans to leave by the end of next year.

The country does not collapse because there is not a government, but it is a situation in which instability is more likely to grow. Al-Qaeda in Iraq have been pretty active, there was an appalling bomb in Baghdad just two days ago. Some analysts believe they are growing stronger again.
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Tony Blair to donate proceeds of his memoirs to help rehabilitate injured personnel
From The Royal British Legion's website - Monday, 16 August 2010:
The Royal British Legion is pleased to announce Tony Blair will be donating all of the proceeds from his forthcoming memoirs, A Journey, to the Battle Back Challenge Centre, a Legion funded project that will provide state-of-the-art rehabilitation services for seriously injured Service personnel.



The Legion has now committed £25m over 10 years to support the MoD’s Personnel Recovery Centre (PRC) programme which was announced earlier this year. The charity’s funding support covers the running of the 4 PRCs and all the capital and civilian running costs of the Battle Back Challenge Centre - a major part of the programme which aims to help seriously injured personnel using sport and outdoor activities to help physical rehabilitation and confidence building. The innovative project will help injured service personnel fulfil their potential and get back to active duty or civilian life.



The Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Challenge Centre is due to open in summer 2012. The Legion expects that most injured personnel who are able to return to active duty will go through the Battle Back Centre as part of their recovery. The Centre, which will be open to personnel across the Armed Forces, will provide accommodation and a state-of-the-art gym and training facility.

Chris Simpkins, Director General of the Royal British Legion, said:

"The Legion is delighted to accept this very generous donation which gives an excellent start to our fundraising target of £12m for the Battle Back Challenge Centre and a total of £25m as our contribution to the provision of the world class service for injured personnel for the next 10 years. The culture of the Centre will very much be about what users of the service can do rather than what they can't but some of the servicemen and women are likely to need the Legion's support for the rest of their lives. Mr. Blair's generosity is much appreciated and will help us to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of injured personnel."

A spokesman for Tony Blair said:

"Tony Blair decided on leaving office that he would donate the proceeds of his memoirs to a charity for the Armed Forces as a way of marking the enormous sacrifice they make for the security of our people and the world. The Royal British Legion is just such a cause.

"In making this decision, Tony Blair recognises the courage and sacrifice the armed forces demonstrate day in, day out. As Prime Minister he witnessed that for himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Kosovo. This is his way of honouring their courage and sacrifice.

"We have been consulting with a number of people and organisations to decide the best support he can give. There is one project consistently highlighted: The Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Challenge Centre.

"As Tony Blair said to the House of Commons on his last day in office:

"'I believe that they [the Armed Forces] are fighting for the security of this country and the wider world against people who would destroy our way of life. But whatever view people take of my decisions, I think that there is only one view to take of them: they are the bravest and the best.'”
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Give Tony Blair credit for a truly magnanimous gesture
From telegraph.co.uk blogs
By Con Coughlin*
Monday, 16 August 2010


Tony Blair answers questions at the Iraq Inquiry in January (Photo: Reuters)

His detractors will inevitably call it Tony Blair’s “blood money”. But personally I applaud the former prime minister’s magnanimous decision to donate all the proceeds from his forthcoming memoirs to a sports centre for badly injured soldiers.

Whatever you might think of Mr Blair, he always had the courage of his convictions when it came to defending our freedoms, whether it was confronting genocidal maniacs like Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milosevic, or tackling the modern curse of Islamist terrorism. Mr Blair went to war not because he was trigger happy, but because he believed it was the right thing to do. As a result hundreds of British service personnel have been killed or suffered serious injury, a burden that weighs heavily on Mr Blair’s conscience.

It is a measure of the man that, despite the huge amount of money that he will receive from publication of A Journey next month, he is donating all of it to the Royal British Legion, the biggest single donation the organisation has received in its history.

Cynics will claim that Mr Blair is making the donate to assuage his feelings of guilt over leading the nation during so many conflicts. But I prefer to take at face value that he has taken this decision as his way of honouring the courage and sacrifice of all those who have fought in Blair’s wars.
*Con Coughlin, the Telegraph's executive foreign editor, is a world-renowned expert on the Middle East and Islamic terrorism. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books. His new book, Khomeini's Ghost, is published by Macmillan.

Further Reading

Tony Blair's memoirs A Journey will be released on September 1, 2010
Pre-order now. Dispatched from and sold by Amazon



http://www.tonyblairjourney.co.uk/

Tony Blair to donate proceeds of memoirs to Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Challenge Centre
From The Office of Tony Blair - Monday, 16 August 2010

Iraq Inquiry Rebuttal Service From the Independent's John Rentoul (scroll to end of each page and click on "Previous 10" and keep scrolling to reach the beginning)
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Meme: Joe Trippi's Eleven-Eleven 1111Campaign - America's and Britain's Veterans have given so much. Now, you can give back.

Joe Trippi, one of America's greatest bloggers, has launched Eleven Eleven Campaign. The objective of the Eleven Eleven Campaign is simple: to get 11 million Americans to donate $11 to support America’s Veterans. Here is a copy of Joe's latest tweet on Twitter:
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and now is our moment to encourage our friends, family members and colleagues to join us... http://bit.ly/9Iu9s
33 minutes ago from Facebook
1111Campaign
Eleven Eleven
Hey Joe! Britain's Veterans have given so much too!

Stand with 11 million Brits and Give £11 to Support Britain’s Vets!

Take Action Today
Click here to support Britain's Veterans
November 11, 2009

Britain's Veterans have given so much. Now, you can give back.
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