I had gotten three Red Cross leaders freed ten years earlier. So I had a plus in my good relations with Bashir, the Sudanese leader, when I went back to ask for the release of Paul Salopek, the Chicago Tribune correspondent. Bashir remembered that I had treated him with respect. He released Salopek. Then I said, “But you’ve gotta give me the two Africans you’ve got.” He said, “No, the Africans are from Chad. That’s an enemy country.” I said, “I can’t go back with one white guy and not any black guys.” Bashir laughed, really laughed, and that’s how we got them out.
THIS is why I supported Richardson for Secretary of State over Hillary Clinton (and, well, for President over Obama, actually).
Esquire
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment