PRESS STATEMENT ON SUDAN BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

PRESS STATEMENT ON SUDAN BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

Following is today’s statement to the press on the Sudan by Security Council President César Mayoral (Argentina):

Members of the Security Council welcome the signature on 9 January in Nairobi, Kenya, of the comprehensive peace agreement for the North-South peace process in the Sudan.  The perseverance of the principal negotiators, First Vice-President Osman Taha and Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Dr. John Garang, embodies the promise of a new future for the Sudan.

Recalling its resolutions 1547 and 1574, members of the Security Council will expeditiously consider appropriate UN support for implementation of the peace agreement, including deployment of a peace support operation, and look to the international community, once implementation begins, to provide assistance for its implementation, as well as for the reconstruction and rehabilitation process.

Members of the Security Council note with appreciation the unflagging support of the international community as critical to the success of the North-South peace process.  In particular, the Security Council commends the outstanding contribution of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and expresses its gratitude for the efforts of members of the Troika.

Members of the Security Council express their hope and conviction that the signature of this agreement will mark a watershed in the history of the Sudan, look forward to its implementation, and call on the emerging Government of National Unity to work expeditiously to consolidate peace throughout the country.

Members of the Security Council believe that this emerging Government of National Unity must also commit itself fully and actively to ending the violence in Darfur, thereby extending the benefits of the comprehensive peace agreement throughout the national territory.

In this regard, the members of the Council express their continued determination to monitor the situation in Darfur, and, recalling its previous resolutions, underscore the obligations of all parties to maintain the 8 April 2004 N’djamena ceasefire and to work towards a peaceful settlement.  Council members welcome the active engagement of the African Union and reiterate the need for continued support from the international community to the African Union.

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