Annan laments death of Sudanese vice president Garang

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 1, 2005 (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday lamented the death of Sudanese rebel leader John Garang and urged the country to push forward with its peace process.

A sorrowful looking Annan said he was in Khartoum on July 9 when Garang was sworn in as first vice president and remembered the promise surrounding the event.

“At that time it was such a moment of hope,” Annan said. “Here is a man who had lived and fought for peace and one united Sudan and just as he was on the verge of achieving what he has lived and fought for he is taken away from us.”

Annan said that after he learned of Garang’s death in a helicopter crash, he spoke with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, who promised to work closely with Garang’s rebel movement, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.

“Now it is up to the SPLM to arrange succession,” Annan said. “It is essential that the movement holds together and joins the government in Khartoum.”