Show Sudan CaDs r I il VS I I Ties i I a I o w u a I IL i ir io 0 o o c o 0 f r 0 a VJ o I o 00 I a VJ Sn 1 1 4 militiamen have pushed more than a million off I Government Government backed backed their farmland which now may be imperiled by a Sudanese tenure law Emily Wax Was i The Washington Post I Sudanese Sudan officials said they expected relations s with the United States to normalize normalize nort nor nor- t malize by the end of the month when they sign a U.S.-backed U.S. peace agreement with rebels in inthe inthe inthe the southern part of the country to end 21 years of war In interviews last week officials officials officials said a separate conflict in inthe inthe inthe the western Darfur region would not impede progress on improving ties They emphasized commitments commitments commitments commit commit- ments made two years ago by Secretary of State Colin Powell who said that after a peace agreement was reached and the government had met other conditions a road map would be designed to move toward lifting economic sanctions sanctions sanctions sanc sanc- and removing Sudan from froma a list of countries accused of supporting terrorism Sudan's foreign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said President r Bush is is k keen on achieving peace and stability in Sudan arid normalizing Dela teli- 1 lations la- la laI I between the two coun coun- tries He added that he did not think Powells Powell's resignation would set back changes because the State Department is fully expected to implement Bushs Bush's policy and to work in harmony with him The war in Darfur broke out in February 2003 when two African rebel groups attacked police stations and military outposts to protest what they called regional discrimination by the mostly Arab elite controlling controlling controlling con con- trolling the government The government responded by arming anning and supporting a militia called the to crush the rebellion and bombing bombing bombing bomb bomb- ing villages where they said rebel supporters where hiding human rights groups and the United Nations have said The conflict has driven 17 million Africans from their homes and left people dead the groups say The United States has said atrocities in Darfur amounted to genocide The Sudanese government has said what has happened is simply a war St State te Minister Ahmed L r U Haroon Haroon T fr s said d th f r t was committed to toa a fire cease se-ni se r rebels bels' bels but buthe he accused them of killing 98 civilians and carrying out dozens of attacks in the eight months since the agreement was signed Energy and Mining Minister Awad Ahmed al said in a rare interview that the crisis would sort itself out and he invited US U.S. oil companies to Sudan to explore possibilities Americans can come he said The business is moving very fast and they are welcome Bring your expertise and your money and come when you drop your sanctions Al AI said China and Malaysia were doing oil business business business busi busi- ness with Sudan and that China stays out of politics US U.S. officials have said that while normalization was on on the table the Darfur crisis has made relations far more com com- fire Cease violations have continued both by rebels and the government in recent weeks Instead of sliding gloriously glorious glorious- ly into the front door of peace Sudan is backing in with Darfur still on fire a senior State Department official said saidon saidon saido o on condition of anonymity b b cruse e Jie has to toS S Sudanese d nes officials abo about f normalizing nor- nor w r relations lations They Th will have to show us some goodwill on Darfur |