Sudan invites France to attend meeting of Libya neighbors in Khartoum
November 21, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government has invited France to participate as an observer at a meeting for Libya’s neighbouring countries that would be held at the end of the month in Khartoum.
Sudan’s Foreign Minister El-Dirdeiry Ahmed on Tuesday met with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris at the start of a tour that would take him to three other European nations.
In a press release on Wednesday, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Babiker al-Siddiq said the two sides expressed the desire to promote bilateral relations, pointing out that relations between the two countries have witnessed positive developments during the previous period.
He said that Ahmed has briefed his French counterpart on Sudan’s efforts to achieve peace in Libya, pointing to Khartoum’s initiative to host a meeting of Libya’s neighbouring countries on 29 November.
“He [Sudan’s Foreign Minister] invited France to attend the meeting in Khartoum as an observer and the French minister has accepted the invitation and promised that his country would participate in the meeting” read the press release
According to the press release, Ahmed also spoke about the internal developments in Sudan as well as Khartoum’s efforts to achieve regional peace particularly in Libya, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
For his part, the French top diplomat expressed his country’s desire to achieve the best relations with Sudan, praising Sudan’s positive efforts to achieve regional stability.
He renewed his country’s desire to promote cooperation between the two countries at all levels, vowing to respond to the invitation extended from his Sudanese counterpart to visit Khartoum soon.
The political instability in Libya after the collapse of Muammar Kadaffi’s regime impacted negatively the whole region and particularly, Niger, Chad and Sudan.
Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and Boko Haram pose a serious threat to Niger and Chad while Sudan seeks to prevent trafficking of arms to Darfur and migration of mercenaries to Libya.
Despite the efforts of the international community, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) failed to restore security in Libya. The country is controlled by multiple armed groups, some of which support the GNA government and some others oppose it.
(ST)