The State Department is getting ready to release its
long-awaited Sudan policy review as early as Monday, several sources in the
Sudan-watching community have heard.
"Senior contacts in the White House have said it
will be coming out of State on Monday," one source said, adding, "All of our
partners are lining up a response for Monday, as this the closest to a
confirmation we have seen in months."
A State Department spokesman declined to comment on
whether or not the review was forthcoming.
Meanwhile, many members of the Sudan policy
community have been unhappy with the level of involvement and access they have
had throughout the process of the review.
They are especially unhappy with Special Envoy J. Scott Gration, the personal friend
of President Obama's who has been leading the review. He was heavily criticized
for emphasizing the use of cookies and gold stars -- no joke -- to win
over Sudan, and his hopes for the Khartoum regime to change its murderous
tune are not met with confidence by others in the community.
Gration also came under criticism for his dealings with Robert MacFarlane, a Reagan administration official involved in the
Iran-Contra scandal who has ties to the Sudanese government and scored a
meeting with Gration and National Security Advisor Jim Jones.
Sudan-related groups sent a letter to Obama Thursday calling for
Gration to be fired, and the administration may be seeking to release the
review before the pressure gets any more intense.
UPDATE: The Washington Post has more, including some details about the new strategy, and the New York Times has a very favorable treatment of Gration and the new policy.
Read More
(0)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE