UN SC to move quickly to approve peacekeepers in Sudan – US diplomat

UNITED NATIONS, May 27, 2004 (AP) — The U.N. Security Council will move quickly over the summer to approve a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Sudan once a final peace deal between the government and southern rebels is signed, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday.

The adversaries signed three protocols late Wednesday on power-sharing and the administration of three disputed areas in central Sudan and mediators consulted both sides Thursday to plan the final phase of talks to end Africa’s longest-running war.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan was “heartened” at the agreement on the protocols and urged the parties to reach agreement on the remaining issues, including ceasefire arrangements, ways to implement the accord, and international guarantees for a future comprehensive peace agreement.

Annan said the United Nations was ready to contribute to these efforts as well as implementation of the final agreement, a U.N. statement said. He is expected to submit a report to the Security Council next week outlining what contribution the United Nations can make.