Sudan asks Egypt to send scientific delegation to bombed medicine factory
Sudan-Egypt-USA, Politics, 8/25/1998

Sudan asked Cairo to send a specialized Egyptian scientific delegation to visit the location of the medicine factory hit by a US military strike to investigate US claims that "precursor chemicals" used in the making of chemical weapons were produced there.

A Sudanese diplomatic source told ArabicNews.com today, "We asked Egypt to send such a scientific delegation to take samples and to make the necessary tests then to make a report over the results to broadcast it for the whole world."

The Arab Lawyers Union condemned in a statement the American shelling of Sudan and Afghanistan and described the attacks as an aggression against those countries' people as well as violation of their sovereignty and an obvious breach of the United Nations charter and the rule of international law.

The US has insisted that it had evidence that the factory was being used for making a chemical that is "uniquely" used in the last stage of development of "VX" nerve gas. The US has refused to provide the evidence to support its claim.

General Hassan Othman Dahwi, the Sudanese minister of state for social planning, said in press statement concerning the American attack on Sudan, "We severely condemn and denounce America's destruction of El-Shefaa medicine factory, which forms the biggest medicine factory in Sudan and covers Sudan's needs in the medicine field."

He further accused the US of having effected relief efforts in the famine-stricken south of Sudan. Referring to the famine-relief efforts underway in southern Sudan, he said the attack "is considered an obstruction of humanitarian work at a time in which the efforts of the Sudanese governments are combined with the U.S.A. and the rest of the donor nations to fill the medicine and the food gap in areas of conflict."

Meanwhile, an almost total consensus has been expressed in the Arab world over the US strikes against targets in Sudan and Afghanistan in reaction to the bombing of the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The need to use the UN as a source for resolving disputes and avoiding unilateral action was emphasized.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said on Saturday that no country can take the place of the UN. "The UN will be always the main authority in charge of keeping world peace and security," he said.

In Syria in an official statement Damascus said, describing the US strikes, "Such acts are unjustifiable, for they constitute a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the states and their territorial integrity. They also expose the life of civilians and properties to the gravest dangers." The statement added that Syria has always condemned terrorism in all its forms including state terrorism. On this basis, Syria condemned the killing of innocent civilians anywhere in the world as recently happened in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and as happens every day in the Arab territories occupied by Israel.

In Iraq, the Iraqi National Council called in a statement on the international community to counter the "dangerous" US policy.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry issued a statement which regretted the killing of innocent civilians. It said that Washington had made a "unilateral move," and that any reaction should be within the "international legitimacy framework."

The UAE Foreign Ministry said, "Recent developments invite the international community to move collectively through the UN Security Council in order to eliminate terrorism."

Kuwaiti Minister of the Interior Muhammad Khaled al-Sabah said that Kuwait reiterates its principle stand "in rejecting all forms of terrorism." He added that Kuwait calls upon "the international community within the context of the UN to take effective steps to fight terrorism."

In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh denounced the attacks launched against the US in East Africa. He also denounced the US air strikes against Sudan.

Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank demonstrated in opposition to the strikes, while the Gulf press warned that the strikes will bring adverse consequences on the US itself.

Previous Stories:
  OIC opposes any unilateral anti-terrorist action   (8/24/1998)
  Arab League condemns Washington's attack against Sudan   (8/24/1998)
  Sudan expects more attacks, Bombed factory asks US to admit error   (8/24/1998)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search