Salopek was accompanied by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who went to Sudan on Friday to meet with President Omar al-Bashir and persuade him to release the journalist and his colleagues
Richardson -- considered a possible contender for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008 -- is a former congressman, U.N. ambassador and energy secretary during the Clinton administration.
Richardson has had a relationship with President al-Bashir and Sudan's ambassador to the United States, Khadir Haroun Ahmed, which dates back to 1996, the governor's office said. That year, Richardson helped get three Red Cross workers, including an Albuquerque pilot, released from Marxist rebels in Sudan.
The governor said Sunday that al-Bashir agreed to Salopek's release after a 40-minute conversation. "I think a good part of it was the relationship we had," Richardson said.
http://www.cnn.com/...
Relationships with other countries matter...diplomacy matters...talking to people, even when we don't like them matters.
Too bad BushCo can't get it.