The Ambassador Dr. Bahaa El Din Hanafi was hosted in a program “ ma'a elhadath” with the Deutsche Wella TV ( Arabic Section ) in 25 May 2012, accompanied by a member of the German Parliament; member of the Legal Committee and the Committee on Human Rights. The Ambassador emphasized in his speech to the occupation of southern state of Heglieg area and a determination not to withdraw from it despite the disapproval of the international community to this occupation and they did not come out only after that was soundly defeated.
Interview Baha Aldin Hanafi - Ambassador of Sudan
EurActiv.de: South Sudan fought for its independence, celebrated the referendum and the declaration of independence. Why do you regret this development?
HANAFI: The tragic thing about Sudan is that the commonalities between the South and the North are certainly more than any foreigner can imagine. I know that politics were a problem, but if you put politics aside there are a lot of common things between the North and the South. It is not about Africans against Arabs as some people argue. These differences are minimal; they have been emphasized because of politics.
The current regime in Sudan had a lot of problems with the West over the last 20, 25 years, because it tried not to be mechanically obedient like most of the countries in the third world. The West tried different techniques to get rid of this regime: the sanctions, being put on the list of terrorists, suspension of development assistance. All the harassments were cautionary examples for other countries in the region not to disobey. This is how the international system always operates, unfortunately. The United States were never a neutral broker, as they always say, not in Sudan, not in other parts of the world.
When the West doesn’t find anything, they talk about human rights; they always have to find something. Even the average citizen feels like Sudan has been treated unfairly over the last twenty-five years. The European countries colonized Africa, and the British colonized Sudan. We had normal traditional historical ties, as far as economics is concerned. After the Cold War ended they left immediately and created a vacuum. Europe has been away from Sudan for the last twenty-five years. As a responsible leadership and a responsible country we have to look for alternatives. We are delighted to have the Chinese. I don’t know what Sudan would have become, if we didn't have China.
