South African leaders have spurned Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ismail and his bid to gain further corporate complicity in Sudan’s brutally destructive oil development projects. Indeed, Mr. Ismail left South without any agreement on trade or oil exploration, a clear signal of strong South African disapproval of his regime, its appalling conduct of the war in the oil regions, and Khartoum’s abysmal human rights record. If Kenya will now stand firmly against oil imports from Sudan, this will send a strong set of signals to Khartoum from key African countries.
Eric Reeves [August 1, 2001
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
413-585-3326
ereeves@smith.edu
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From The Independent (South Africa), July 30, 2001 [page 3]
“South Africa Backs off from Oil Deal with Sudan”
President Thabo Mbeki and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Foreign Minister, this week scotched a trade and oil exploration deal with Sudan, citing concerns about the African state’s poor human rights record. Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, foreign minister of the isolated Khartoum regime, visited South Africa this week hoping to sign a comprehensive agreement with the government and possibly establish a high-level bi-national commission. He was also looking for extensive investment in Sudan, including involvement in exploiting Sudan’s huge oil reserves.
But both Mbeki and Dlamini-Zuma turned [Ismail] down and he left empty-handed yesterday, according to official sources.