Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Two of the major issues that are more likely to be driving Washington's Sudan policy are pressure from right-wing Christian groups in the US, who have taken up the cause of their fellow Christians in Sudan and who are a driving force behind many of Bush’s decisions and Sudan's place in President Bush's war against terrorism.

Sudan has a radical Islamist government which hosted Osama bin Laden in the early 90s; a number of attacks against US interests were planned from Sudan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3853671.stm

China is selling or appears to be willing to trade weapons for oil to Sudan’s radical Islamist government.

"China has sought energy cooperation with countries of concern to the United States, including Iran and Sudan, which are inaccessible by U.S. and other western firms. Some analysts have voiced suspicions that China may have offered WMD-related transfers as a component of some of its energy deals," noted the Commission.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/6/17/135930.shtml

Sudan with its radical Islamist government fond of bin Laden and apparently Chinese weapons is not that far from Yemen where an Al Qaeda group is vowing to turn Yemen into a "quagmire" for the US. Our new found compassion for the plight of Sudan’s unfortunates could be based on our fear that Chinese weapons are some how getting to Yemen or other countries for that matter.

-Am


Reference:
The Commission report also noted that China continues to proliferate advanced weapons to many of its client states including North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran. In addition, China now appears to be willing to trade weapons for oil.
"China's growing energy needs, linked to its rapidly expanding economy, are creating economic and security concerns for the United States. China's energy security policies are driving it into bilateral arrangements that undermine multilateral efforts to stabilize oil supplies and prices, and in some cases may involve dangerous weapons transfers," stated the report.

"China has sought energy cooperation with countries of concern to the United States, including Iran and Sudan, which are inaccessible by U.S. and other western firms. Some analysts have voiced suspicions that China may have offered WMD-related transfers as a component of some of its energy deals," noted the Commission.
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/6/17/135930.shtml