Sudan praises Oslo donor conference as successful

KHARTOUM, Apr 13, 2005 (Xinhua) — Sudanese First-Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha praised Wednesday the donor conference held on April 11-12 in Oslo as successful.

During the two-day international donors conference, donor countries pledged 4.5 billion US dollars to bolster peace and reconstruction in the war-plagued southern Sudan.

Taha, who returned to Khartoum after attending the Oslo conference, said the donors promised to support the implementation of the peace agreement signed on Jan. 9 in Nairobi between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), putting an end to the 21-year-long civil war in the south.

Taha also expressed hope that the current political atmosphere in Sudan will motivate the Darfur rebel groups to continue negotiations with the government, according to the Sudan News Agency (SUNA).

He called for the international community’s support to the African Union in seeking a solution to the Darfur crisis.

Taha also revealed that he agreed with US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick on the sidelines of the Oslo donors conference to improve the security situation in Darfur and remain committed to the ceasefire agreement signed with the Darfur rebels and continue peace talks.

Rebels in Sudan’s western Darfur region took up arms against the government in February 2003, accusing it of neglecting the barren area.