welcoming darfur accord, Secretary-General urges stronger african mission

 

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

The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement signed by the Government of Sudan and one of the main rebel parties at the Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks in Abuja and stresses that all the parties should seize this historic opportunity to bring this tragic conflict to an end.

Implementation of this complex agreement will require an immediate strengthening of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) so that it will be able to implement critical elements of the Abuja agreement, until the transition envisaged by the African Union and the United Nations can take place.

The Secretary-General also appeals to the parties to implement their commitments in good faith so as to stop the bloodshed and ongoing violence in Darfur, and to cooperate with AMIS and the United Nations on the ground in this regard.

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For information media • not an official record