Sudanese FM to enhance regional ties

Sept 25, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s new Foreign Minister Lam Akol here Sunday expressed his keenness to enhance relations with African and Arab countries.

Akol, who is also a member of former southern rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), made the remarks at his first press conference after he took office last Thursday.

Akol told the reporters that his ministry’s new strategy will be built on good use of diplomacy and development to reconstruct Sudan and serve its people.

He added that for realizing the objectives of the Sudanese external policy, it is essential to reconcile Sudan’s relations with other countries.

He stressed that he will focus on African and Arab ties in accordance with the country’s national culture and its geographical occupation.

The new Sudanese foreign minister, meanwhile, noted that the government will also work for normalizing its relations with the United States and the European Union countries, adding the EU countries have supported Sudan’s peace process and made their pledges in Oslo to fund Sudan’s post-war projects.

Akol reaffirmed Sudan’s rejection to any terrorist acts, expressing his readiness to cooperate in combating terror.

On the SPLM’s stance toward the Darfur conflict, Akol said his party has a proposal to a peaceful solution to the Darfur problem and it will be presented before the new national unity government to formulate a joint view and to seek the Darfur rebels’ approval.

He explained that the compromise proposal is meant to find a peaceful solution to the Darfur crisis as same as that reached in southern Sudan’s comprehensive peace agreement.

“The SPLM has good relations with the Darfur rebel groups and we want people in Darfur to enjoy peace as we do in the south,’ said Akol.

Akol was named the foreign minister of the new Sudanese national unity government, which was formed on Tuesday, under a peace deal signed in January to end the country’s 21-year-long north-south civil war.

(Xinhua /ST)