22/07/2002

Press Release SG/SM/8314 AFR/439

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES PROGRESS IN PEACE TALKS ON SUDAN CONFLICT

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General welcomes the progress made in the peace talks on the conflict in the Sudan, which have been taking place in Machakos, Kenya, under the auspices of the Sudan Peace Committee of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

He recalled that, during his recent visit to Khartoum, he had had open and full discussions on the peace process with President Omar Hassan el-Bashir, and that he had followed up by dispatching a Special Envoy to meet Dr. John Garang, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

The Secretary-General expressed the hope that the parties to the peace talks will be able to build on the momentum so that they can reach a definitive peace agreement in their next round, expected to open in August, in order to put an end to this painful and debilitating conflict which has plagued the Sudan for nearly 50 years.

He is confident that, once a definitive peace agreement is reached, the international community will be ready to provide the necessary assistance for its full implementation.

* *** *