By Eric Reeves
November 8, 2010 (SSNA) — "Misk al-Khitam" is the Arabic phrase—from the Qur’an—reportedly given by the Khartoum regime to its massive military offensive, currently underway in many parts of Darfur and North Kordofan. One rendering of this phrase into English is "The Perfect Ending"—perhaps the equivalent of the Latin "Finis Coronat Opus," or "The End Crowns the Work."
"The Perfect Ending" occurs in the midst of disgraceful diffidence and silence on the part of the UN and other international actors concerning humanitarian conditions and constraints in Darfur. Wire reports detailing the November 7 meeting between US Senator John Kerry and the Khartoum regime suggest that Obama administration has decided how it will respond to such terminal ambition:
"U.S. offers Sudan quicker route off terror list"
By Andrew Quinn
WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) – The United States will drop Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as early as July 2011 if Khartoum ensures two key referendums take place on schedule in January and the results are respected, senior U.S. officials said on Sunday.
U.S. President Barack Obama made the offer through Senator John Kerry, who recently told Sudan’s leaders the United States was ready to "decouple" the issue of Darfur from Khartoum’s terror designation to win cooperation on the January polls, the officials said.
"We like to consider this a pay-for-performance operation," one [senior U.S.] official said.
—Eric Reeves