Sudan / United Kingdom

Wanted for Genocide ... And As a Trading Partner
By Daniel Howden
The Independent, October 1, 2010
Photo: Reuters
"The Government is courting the regime of the indicted war criminal Omar al-Bashir by declaring that relations with Sudan have entered a 'new epoch.' The announcement came as Britain welcomed a trade delegation from the country which has near pariah status, for the first time since warrants for President Bashir's arrest were issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, over atrocities in Darfur. Khartoum's high-level delegation met British government officials and business leaders on Wednesday to encourage investment in a country still targeted by US sanctions. It was the clearest example yet of how problematic William Hague's new foreign policy, in which commercial interests are to trump ethical concerns, will be for the Coalition to implement. The change has already seen complaints that UK diplomatic missions have been reduced to commercial agencies to drum up business. The 'Opportunities in Sudan' networking event on Wednesday brought a delegation including senior members of Mr Bashir's NCP party together with British counterparts including the UK ambassador to Sudan, Nicholas Kay. It comes after a visit by Henry Bellingham, the new minister for Africa, to Khartoum in July to boost trade and business ties. He told reporters there that Britain would be a 'candid friend' to the regime in Sudan."
[n.b. This is the complete text of the dispatch.]