US envoy encouraged by commitment to ending Sudan civil war
KHARTOUM, Oct 6 (AFP) — A US envoy said he was optimistic about moves to end Sudan’s 20 year-old civil war as he wrapped up a tour of the opposing sides’ headquarters in the Sudanese capital Monday.
“Both the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement have clearly shown their full commitment to achieving a comprehensive peaceful settlement as soon as possible,” retired Marine Corps General Carlton Fulford told a news conference as he completed a two-day visit to Khartoum.
General Fulford said the purpose of his visits to Khartoum, the SPLM’s headquarters in the southern Sudanese town of Rumbek, and the peace talks venue in Kenya was to offer US technical advice to help “work out details of the security and military arrangements” agreed between the two sides last month.
In a press statement distributed at the news conference, General Fulford said his country “welcomes the signing of the security arrangements framework as a courageous step forward in the search for a just and viable peace.”
He said his visit to Sudan “reflects the intensified engagement of the United States to support efforts to reach a comprehensive peace accord within the coming weeks.”
Fulford said he met in Nairobi with General Lazaro Sumbeiywo who he described as dynamic in steering the talks, in Rumbek with SPLM leader John Garang and his top aides, and in Khartoum with President Omar al-Beshir and his Defence Minister Bekri Hassan Salih.
The discussions he had had with all of those were “extremely positive”, the US general said.
“I have listened and discussed with both the government and the SPLM the complex array of issues that will need to be addressed,” said Fulford.
He said those included “the timetable for redeployments, how the process will work to structure integrated military units, the issue of other armed groups, development of a new militry doctrine, command coordination and control, and the process of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration.”
The US general said he had also discussed with the officials he met in Nairobi, Rumbek and Khartoum “the importance of moving ahead quickly to work out international monitoring arrangements.”