France salutes formation of Sudanese unity cabinet

Sept 21, 2005 (PARIS) — France said on Wednesday that it welcomed the announcement of the formation of a government of national unity in Sudan, following a period of instability linked with the death of a faction leader.

“France salutes the formation yesterday in Sudan of a government of national union. This is an important step in the implementation of the peace accord of January 9,” Foreign Ministry spokesman in Paris, Jean-Baptiste Mattei, indicated in a statement.

The 9 January accord had come under threat when southern rebel leader of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (transformed into a political movement after the peace deal) John Garang died in a helicopter accident in July.

The ensuing violence left hundreds dead in the capital, Khartoum, and also led to fears of country-wide instability, given the existence of a second conflict in the western province of Darfur.

“France calls on all Sudanese political parties “to continue to work in the direction of national reconciliation and to fully implement the Nairobi accord” signed at the beginning of this year.

In an ongoing refrain, France also urged efforts to secure and respect a cease-fire in the troubled Darfur region, where there have been widespread and documented abuses of human rights and tens-of-thousands of civilians have lost their lives and two million others have been driven from their homes.

France is “very concerned by the deterioration of the security situation in Darfur,” Mattei said, noting Paris wants “the greatest restraint” to be shown in the area.

He also urged respect for and oft-broken cease-fire dating from April 2004 and he called for unconditional negotiations in neighboring Nigeria to find a solution to the conflict.

(KUNA/ST)