Sudan’s FM to visit London tomorrow

KHARTOUM, May 10, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — Sudanese Foreign minister Mustafa Osman Ismail, will tomorrow begin official talks with a number of officials in the British governments, Sudanese radio reported.

The talks will touch on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The ambassador of Sudan to Britain, Hassan Abidin, said that the foreign minister would meet his British counterpart and the secretary of state for international development to discuss the issue of settling Sudan’s foreign debts.

He added that during the visit, the minister of foreign affairs will meet with the secretary of state for African affairs in the British Foreign Ministry and the parliamentary group concerned with the Sudanese affairs. He will give a briefing on the Darfur events and the government’s efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem.

The minister will meet Arab and African ambassadors and representatives of the Sudanese community.

Sudanese community in London will organise a demonstration in front of 10 Downing Street to protest for human rights violations in western Sudan. Rights groups accuse Sudan of driving more than one million Darfurian from their homes in a campaign of bombing, burning and rape carried out by government troops and allied janjaweed militia.

He added that the visit would promote the Sudanese-British ties especially after achieving peace. He pointed out that Britain had promised to provide assistance to Sudan in the period after peace.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in massage sent to Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, on January 2004, pledged to write off debts owed by Sudan when Khartoum reaches a final peace accord with the main southern rebel movement.

British government is actively engaged in the peace talks between Sudan’s government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. Ambassador Alan Goulty is the British peace envoy to Sudan.