Eritrean president, UN special envoy in talks on Sudan peace process
ASMARA, Mar 12, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki held talks with a special envoy of the UN secretary-general, who is on a mission to discuss the role of the UN in the Sudanese peace process.
The UN special envoy, Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun, has come to discuss ways of enhancing the UN’s role after the signing of a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the opposition in the ongoing peace talks in Kenya.
During the meeting at the Denden Lounge in Asmara, Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun gave President Isayas a detailed account of the UN’s programmes in the wake of the peace agreements in Machakos and Naivasha, Kenya.
Afewerki assured Sahnoun that Eritrea supported the peace agreement reached between the Sudanese government and the opposition in Naivasha, Kenya, and was actively working and would continue to work for the success of the same agreement, the official Eritrean radio said today.
Eritrean President said the role of the international community, particularly that of the UN was crucial in resolving Sudan’s problems. He further added that though the agreement so far reached between the two sides was encouraging, the issue should be handled with patience because it was a very complex issue.
Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun had also met and held similar discussions with Eritrean Foreign Minister Ali Sayyid Abdallah.
The envoy, who is touring the region, previously met with the First Vice-President of Sudan, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, the Chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), John Garang, the chief Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) mediator, Lt. Gen. Lazaro K. Sumbeiywo, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Alpha Oumar Konaré and Ethiopia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Tekeda Alemu.
Mr. Sahnoun, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Adviser for Africa, is scheduled to remain in the region until 18 March for further meetings.
Last October the Security Council, in a Presidential Statement, asked Mr. Annan “to initiate preparatory work, as soon as possible, in consultation with the parties, the IGAD facilitators and the International Observers, on how the United Nations could best fully support the implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement.”