Special Dispatch | No. 2119 | November 17, 2008
Sudan
Sudan Liberation Movement Leader Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur Supports Relations with Israel: An Israeli Embassy in Khartoum Will Serve Interests of the Sudanese People
The following are excerpts from an interview with Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur. The interview aired on Al-Arabiya TV on October 10, 2008.
To view the MEMRI TV clip, visit: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1907.htm.
"People from Darfur and Sudan Have Gone to Israel – And They Are There Now, Studying, Eating Israeli Food, and Living... We Will Open an Israeli Embassy in Khartoum"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "There are two types of normalization. There is normalization between peoples, and this has already happened. People from Darfur and Sudan have gone to Israel, and they are there now, studying, eating Israeli food, and living among them. This has already happened.
"As for political normalization, the Sudan Liberation Movement says loud and clear: If we come to power, we will open an Israeli Embassy in Khartoum and consulates next to the Palestinian Embassy and consulates, because we believe that people should resolve their problems by peaceful means. As for the war between Israel and the Palestinians, we are against the killing of civilians, whether in Israel or in Gaza..."
Interviewer: "But Israel kills Palestinians, and you accept this by your presence there."
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "Let me finish. We are against the killing of innocent civilians – whether in Israel or the Palestinian territories. But as I previously said, we would open an Israeli Embassy because this would serve the interests of the Sudanese people in terms of politics, industry, agriculture, and investments." [...]
"I Haven't Seen Any Israeli Who Killed a Sudanese... [But] Our Government Killed Its People by the Hundreds of Thousands"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "Tell me, how can you compare Sudan to Israel? I haven't seen any Israeli who killed a Sudanese, or who interfered in Sudanese affairs. In Sudan we have a saying: 'You see an elephant, but you attack its shadow.'
"Our government killed its people by the hundreds of thousands – sorry, by the millions. In the name of religion and race, it turned tens of thousands of families into refugees with its 'Public Interest' system, by means of the Islamic Front, and it killed people during Ramadhan. In the name of development, it drove hundreds of thousands out of their homes everywhere – and then it creates the smokescreen of hatred of Israel.
"Resolve the problems of the Sudanese people first, and then talk about Israel. Start with yourself, and stay away from the problems of others."
With the Arrest Warrant for Al-Bashir, "The Rule Of Law Has Been Transferred From This Failing, Illegal Government To The ICC"
Interviewer: "Are you pleased about the issuing of the arrest warrant against the Sudanese president? As a Sudanese, do you feel that this is a political victory for you?"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "First of all, this is a legal matter, and as a lawyer, I am very pleased that Al-Bashir and his government now know that the world is no longer a jungle of wild beasts, and that it will not allow them to kill their people and remain at large. The issue of the warrant is purely a legal matter. Every nation in the world has the right to protect its citizens and bring them justice.
"In Sudan, we have an outlaw government. Instead of protecting its citizens, it annihilates them. Therefore, the rule of law has been transferred from this failing, illegal government to the International Criminal Court."
The following are excerpts from an interview with Sudan Liberation Movement leader Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur. The interview aired on Al-Arabiya TV on October 10, 2008.
To view the MEMRI TV clip, visit: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1907.htm.
"People from Darfur and Sudan Have Gone to Israel – And They Are There Now, Studying, Eating Israeli Food, and Living... We Will Open an Israeli Embassy in Khartoum"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "There are two types of normalization. There is normalization between peoples, and this has already happened. People from Darfur and Sudan have gone to Israel, and they are there now, studying, eating Israeli food, and living among them. This has already happened.
"As for political normalization, the Sudan Liberation Movement says loud and clear: If we come to power, we will open an Israeli Embassy in Khartoum and consulates next to the Palestinian Embassy and consulates, because we believe that people should resolve their problems by peaceful means. As for the war between Israel and the Palestinians, we are against the killing of civilians, whether in Israel or in Gaza..."
Interviewer: "But Israel kills Palestinians, and you accept this by your presence there."
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "Let me finish. We are against the killing of innocent civilians – whether in Israel or the Palestinian territories. But as I previously said, we would open an Israeli Embassy because this would serve the interests of the Sudanese people in terms of politics, industry, agriculture, and investments." [...]
"I Haven't Seen Any Israeli Who Killed a Sudanese... [But] Our Government Killed Its People by the Hundreds of Thousands"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "Tell me, how can you compare Sudan to Israel? I haven't seen any Israeli who killed a Sudanese, or who interfered in Sudanese affairs. In Sudan we have a saying: 'You see an elephant, but you attack its shadow.'
"Our government killed its people by the hundreds of thousands – sorry, by the millions. In the name of religion and race, it turned tens of thousands of families into refugees with its 'Public Interest' system, by means of the Islamic Front, and it killed people during Ramadhan. In the name of development, it drove hundreds of thousands out of their homes everywhere – and then it creates the smokescreen of hatred of Israel.
"Resolve the problems of the Sudanese people first, and then talk about Israel. Start with yourself, and stay away from the problems of others."
With the Arrest Warrant for Al-Bashir, "The Rule Of Law Has Been Transferred From This Failing, Illegal Government To The ICC"
Interviewer: "Are you pleased about the issuing of the arrest warrant against the Sudanese president? As a Sudanese, do you feel that this is a political victory for you?"
Abd Al-Wahed Al-Nur: "First of all, this is a legal matter, and as a lawyer, I am very pleased that Al-Bashir and his government now know that the world is no longer a jungle of wild beasts, and that it will not allow them to kill their people and remain at large. The issue of the warrant is purely a legal matter. Every nation in the world has the right to protect its citizens and bring them justice.
"In Sudan, we have an outlaw government. Instead of protecting its citizens, it annihilates them. Therefore, the rule of law has been transferred from this failing, illegal government to the International Criminal Court."
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