Paris calls on Sudanese for restraint after Garang’s death

PARIS, Aug 1, 2005 (Xinhua) — France on Monday called on all Sudanese parties for restraint after the death of the country’s first Vice-President John Garang.

“France calls on all Sudanese parties for restraint and to continue to work in the direction of peace and national reconciliation, continuing the implementation of the peace deal signed on Jan. 9 in Nairobi,” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo said at a news conference here.

In a letter addressed to the Sudanese government, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, who has visited Sudan on Friday, also hailed the role Garang played “in the reconciliation that has recently reached to the country.”

Garang, who had led Sudan’s southern rebels for two decades before making peace with and joining the government, was killed over the weekend in a helicopter crash.

The Sudanese capital of Khartoum turned chaotic on Monday. Rioters burned cars and threw stones at police, saying they were suspicious about the death of the key figure in the January peace deal.