Sudanese Vice-President Taha says peace “strategic goal”

BBC Monitoring Middle East

By Sudanese radio

KHARTOUM, Oct. 23, 2003 — The first vice-president of the republic, Al-Ustadh [honorific] Ali Uthman Muhammad Taha, has said peace is a strategic goal from which no deviation should occur.

He said this while meeting, at the Kenyan town of Naivasha, a delegation from transition peace council and officials from the government of Southern Kordofan State [central Sudan].

His excellency said the government was committed to strengthening the federal governing system and accord it more powers and observe justice in wealth-sharing through an agreed upon national perspective. He said that the government’s conviction and its adherence to its programme will be a major guarantee for the realization of balanced development.

Meanwhile, the finance and national economy minister, Mr Zubayr Ahmad al-Hassan, the governor of Sudan Bank, Dr Sabir Muhammad al- Hasan, and both former finance ministers, Dr Muhammad Al-Khayr al- Zubayr and Dr Abd-al-Wahhab Uthman, left Naivasha town [Kenya] after attending meeings on wealth-sharing.