Sudanese, French leaders discuss plane crash, peace talks, regional issues

By Sudanese TV

KHARTOUM, Jan 07, 2004 — The president of the republic, Lt-Gen Umar al-Bashir, has made a telephone call to his French counterpart, Jacques Chirac, to condole him over the victims of the recent plane crash [in Egypt].

Al-Bashir briefed Chirac on the progress of the [Sudanese] peace talks and the agreement on wealth sharing which will be signed today in Naivasha [Kenya].

President Al-Bashir stressed Sudan’s wish to strengthen bilateral ties and activate communication channels between the two countries, praising the French role in the development of African countries and support for crucial Arab issues, the Palestinian one in particular.

President Al-Bashir renewed his invitation to the French president to visit Sudan.

For his part, French President Jacques Chirac expressed his appreciation for the roles of the government and the SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] in reaching a just and lasting peace agreement, stressing his wish to visit Sudan in the near future.

BBC Monitoring Middle East