MORE ON ABUJA. Just to respond to Matt, this update on the Abuja negotiations from the Sudan Tribune seems to indicate that the rebels� initial rejection of an African Union draft accord was a tactically wise move. Since the U.S. delegation arrived on Monday, the A.U. draft has been scrapped. It seems that Robert Zoellick and Co. have effectively sidelined the A.U., making the Abuja agreement a thoroughly American affair. And the Americans, much more than the A.U., have been able to wriggle more concessions out of Khartoum than the A.U. could have hoped for. The rebels now have a much more appealing document to sign.
--Mark Leon Goldberg
