Sudan Vice President : More will be done to bolster sudanese-egyptian relations !

Excerpt from an interview of sudanese Vice President with Al-Ahram newspaper.

Aug 28, 2005 (Khartoum) — What plans do you have for tackling the situation in Darfur inspite of the fact that you are not party to the ongoing talks that aim at putting an end to the war there ?

Kiir: So far we have not had any contacts with the parties concerned in Darfur or the East of Sudan. More likely we are not going to participate in a meeting to be held in Tanzania for that purpose. However, we have our own perception on solutions to the problems facing both regions. In due time we will put forward our proposals to the government and the armed groups in Darfur and the East of Sudan. Within a maximum of two weeks an abroad-based government will be formed, we will be part of that government. We will then talk to our partners on the necessity of solving the problems and we will brief them on our views concerning solutions to both problems. What is your viewpoint on Sudan’s tense relations with its neighbors and the United States?

How can these relations be improved especially with the United States and Eritrea ?

Kiir: There are different reasons for Sudan’s problems with neighbouring countries and the United States. As for Eritrea, for example, we believe that after the formation of the government we will have the opportunity to get both sides to sit together and we will make use of our relations with the Eritreans to achieve that goal. As the government of Sudan we believe that we are capable to solve that problem.