Sudanese government hoping for peace agreement by year’s end

GENEVA, Dec 11, 2003 (dpa) — After 20 years of civil war, the Sudanese government is hoping that a peace accord can be agreed with the rebels by the end of the year, said a Sudanese government spokesperson Thursday in Geneva.

Information minister Az-Zahawi Ibrahim Malik said he hoped that the current round of talks with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) would be the last.

Among the unresolved issues are the distribution of power and the sharing of natural resources like oil. Malik believes a federal political system, like that of India, would be best suited to Sudan. He called on the international community to support a lasting and stable peace in Sudan through development projects.

Britain’s Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn was on a two-day visit to Sudan Thursday to discuss the peace process.

He called on the government of Sudan and the rebels to cease hostilities in the Darfur region.

“The situation in Darfur is extremely grave and serious, people killed, displaced, relief workers deprived access to the region,” the British official told the press Thursday.

However, he congratulated President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir on what he called the enormous progress achieved so far in the peace talks to end decades of wars between southern and northern Sudan.

“This is a crucial time for Sudan with a genuine opportunity for peace and stability,” he said.

Benn also met the ministers of the interior, finance, humanitarian affairs and international cooperation as well as authorities at Sudan’s Central Bank.