Sudan "cries for peace and justice:" Obama

By David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama named retired Air Force General Scott Gration on Wednesday as his special envoy to Sudan, picking a close adviser with broad experience in the region to lead U.S. efforts on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Darfur.

"Sudan is a priority for this administration, particularly at a time when it cries out for peace and for justice," Obama said in a statement announcing Gration's appointment. "The worsening humanitarian crisis there makes our task all the more urgent."

Sudan's U.N. ambassador said Khartoum wanted "constructive engagement" with the new U.S. special envoy.

"We are ready for dialogue and cooperation," Sudanese Ambassador Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem told Reuters in an interview. "We hope the U.S. will reciprocate."

Gration, a decorated fighter pilot, was raised in Africa and is fluent in Swahili. He is a close Obama adviser and often traveled with him during the presidential campaign last year.

They got to know each other when Obama visited Africa in 2006 while still a senator. During that trip they visited Darfur refugees in Chad, a neighbor of Sudan.

"I have worked closely and directly with General Gration for several years, and have traveled with him to refugee camps in Chad filled with those who were displaced by the genocide in Darfur," Obama said in the statement. "He is a valued personal friend and I am pleased he has accepted this assignment."

The appointment comes at a time of deepening crisis in Sudan.