Sudanese FM welcomes Yemeni initiative over row with Eritrea

KHARTOUM, Dec 12, 2004 (Al-Sahafah) — Khartoum has welcomed the initiative launched by Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Salih to meditate between Sudan and Eritrea in a bid to resolve the dispute between the two countries.

In a press statement yesterday, Foreign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said that his country has no strong enmity with Eritrea. He further said that before the two countries normalized their relations, some pending problems must be resolved.

In response to the statement made by Eritrean president at the end of his visit to Yemen recently, he said Sudan rejects any inference in its internal affairs and as well will not accept anyone to interfere in the Eritrea’s internal affairs.

He added that Sudan does not reject any mediation effort whether by Libya or Yemen, but what is important he said, is the removal of the obstacle which is impeding the normalization of relations between the two countries.

“Let’s hope that the Eritrean statement will move in the right direction, and also, lets work together to remove these obstacles so that the two countries will move ahead from the current famous era of turmoil to a new era of work in the interest of the two countries, its people and the region as whole,” he said.

Responding to a question by Al-Sahafa, the minister said that his government is waiting for the arrival of Yemeni president on 24 December to review details of the mediation effort in a bid to commence it.

Material from the BBC Monitoring Service