Sudanese government delegation in Washington talks with US officials on peace

By Al-Khartoum daily newspaper

KHARTOUM, Nov. 19, 2003 — The deputy head of the Sudanese [government] delegation in Washington, Abd al-Baki Kabir, has revealed that he held an extensive meeting with officials from the US State Department the evening of the day before yesterday.

In a statement to Al-Khartoum, Kabir said US officials had reiterated their commitment to pushing the peace process forward as well as to the signing of a peace agreement as soon as possible.

He added that US officials assured the [Sudanese] delegation that [rebel] SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] leader John Garang’s visit to Washington, which he started yesterday, was not under an official invitation. He expressed his optimism over Garang’s visit to Washington and added that US officials would brief Garang on the [government] delegation’s view on how to achieve peace.

For his part, the SPLM official spokesman, Yasir Arman, told Al- Khartoum that Garang’s visit to Washington came after an official invitation by the US administration and pointed out that Garang will meet officials from the US administration, the US Congress and Senate.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East