Paris hails Sudanese cease-fire agreement

PARIS, France, Jan 3, 2004 (PANA) — The French Foreign ministry expressed
satisfaction Monday following the signing of a definitive cease-
fire agreement between Khartoum and the Sudanese Peoples
Liberation Army (SPLA).

“This agreement is a significant breakthrough likely to put an
end to the long war,” said spokesman Herve Ladsous.

“France congratulates the Sudanese parties and pays tribute to
those who made this conclusion possible, including the US,
Britain, Norway, Kenya and the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development (IGAD),” he declared at a news conference.

Ladsous also exhorted the parties in conflict in the western
Sudanese region of Darfur to live up to their commitments,
insisting that “the return of peace in the south would be
meaningful only if Sudan manages to resolve the crisis in
Darfur.”

After several months of negotiations, Sudanese vice-president Ali
Osman Taha and SPLA leader John Garang signed the agreement last
Friday in the Kenyan town of Naivasha in the presence of South
African president Thabo Mbeki.

The agreement paves the way for the signing of a comprehensive
peace accord on 9 January.