He clearly stated that Sudan will not allow hostile acts against any Arab government. He described Sudan's relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states as cordial and positive. On the question of relations with Kuwait, Al Bashir said Sudan was working to restore good relations.

Bashir was at pains to express that Islam does not condone terrorism and promotes tolerance. He blasted a Security Council decision threatening sanctions against his country if it failed to hand over to Ethiopia three Egyptians suspected of carrying out a failed assassination attempt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Sudan has denied all these charges. Bashir said Sudan will deal with it in a diplomatic manner.

The press conference gave the Sudanese leader a chance to explain his side of the "story".

Sudan has come under criticism, especially from the Western media who have been blowing stories out of proportion and asking for all kinds of sanctions against the Arab and African country.

However, one notices that the U.S.-led Security Council refrains from even meeting to discuss the Israeli aggression and killing in Lebanon. As the world watched and waited the Security Council members failed to even meet. Mainly women and children were killed in the carnage at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon post in Cana on April 18. The spokesman of the United Nations peacekeeping troops in Southern Lebanon recently disclosed that the Israeli Army knew that there were civilians inside the Cana U.N. base where 109 people were killed by Israeli bombardment. Now it is clear that the Israelis hit the Cana camp deliberately.

As tens of children died and hundreds of houses were blown up by Israelis flying freely supplied Phantom jets the meeting at the United Nations was deliberately delayed.

The United States which is quick to goad its allies in applying sanctions against Arab and Muslim countries was upset that some council members even thought of criticizing Israel.

In fact U.S. President Bill Clinton was busy being campaign manager for the Labor Party in Israel's May 27 elections, in effect telling Israelis to vote for Shimon Peres.

Clinton was also assisting another killer, Boris Yeltsin, trying to help him defeat nationalist Russian leaders in Russia's June 16 election. This is according to a known anti Arab Zionist William Safire. 

No one in the United States bothered to think why Israel was carrying out such a terror campaign against helpless Lebanon.

People ask the question: Why do the Arabs and Muslims become easy targets? Take the case of a country friendly to the United States - Azerbaijan.

It is denied direct American humanitarian assistance by law. The American lobby headed by no other than Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole is punishing the poor Azerbaijanis of whom more than a million have become refugees because of Armenian aggression.

While the United States points at "terror states" in the Arab world and asks that "terrorists" be brought to justice it fails even to raise a voice to ask for the perpetrators of the worst genocide in modern history - the Serbs.

In fact it is trying to tone down calls for the arrest and trial of the top Serbian leadership who took direct part in the butchering of thousands of Muslims.

While the media portrays those fight against the Israeli occupation and repression as "Islamic terrorists", no one in the media even alleged that "Christian Serbs" or terrorists committed crimes.

Putting the "Islamic" label on negative acts has become a fashion among the media and even those in authority.

Israel is rewarded by Clinton and his cohorts with a hundred million dollar to fight terrorism. The poor Lebanese and Palestinians get nothing. The American taxpayer has to stick out more dollars to let Israel continue on its path of terror.

The American media searches for more provocative labels to stick on the victims. An expansionist and aggressive Israel is painted as peace- loving. A Hezbollah fighting to remove the occupiers of their land is regarded as fundamentalist and an enemy of the peace process.

But the Arabs - at least those who have some honor left have had enough of this peace.

They want a peace - but one with honor.

Any peace that is forced down their throats and at a pace of not their liking is likely to be counterproductive and even lethal.