US to mobilise international audience to witness signing of peace deal

KHARTOUM, May 17, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — The US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Charles Snyder, has pledged that a big number of world leaders would gather to mark the signing of peace agreement in Sudan, the pro governmental Al-Anba newspaper said.

He blamed the negotiating parties for taking too long in the pursuit of a mutual peace agreement. The US official further said delaying the Naivasha peace talks was also becoming an obstacle to realizing peace in the Darfur Region.

In a statement to journalists after holding talks in Naivasha with the first vice-president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement leader, Col John Garang, the US official said the final peace agreement was very close.

He indicated Taha and Garang assured him that they had managed to reach an agreement on most of the fundamental issues. The remaining issues would be finalized in the coming two days.

He said the US Administration will mobilize a large number of world leaders to witness the signing ceremony of the final peace agreement which would be held in Nairobi and not Washington as it had been mentioned earlier.

The first vice-president said that peace was near. He pointed out that the two sides had overcome a number of obstacles which included power sharing , the three disputed regions – Abyei, Nuba mountains and Blue Nile Region – and the laws which will be applied in the national capital.