The Sudanese government on Thursday called world pressures on
rebel movements in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur
in order to make the upcoming peace talks success.
"The international community should practice pressures on the
movements that reject the peace process and punish them for their
impeding stances," State Minister in the Sudanese Foreign Ministry
Samani al-Wasila al-Sheikh Samani was quoted by the official SUNA
as saying.
The Minister renewed his government's commitment to dialogue
with the rebel movements and exerting utmost efforts to make
success the next negotiations to be held in the Libyan capital
Tripoli on Oct. 27.
Samani made the remarks during a meeting with visiting US
Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios. The two sides discussed the
implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in
southern Sudan as well as developments of the Darfur issue.
The US official commended a recent declaration made by Sudanese
President Omer al-Bashir on his government's commitment to the
cease-fire during the Tripoli talks, saying that the declaration
would help in making success the negotiations.
Natsios began his current visit in Sudan since the weekend,
during which he has paid a tour in southern Sudan and Darfur.
During his visit in southern Sudan, he explained that he met
with a number of local officials and got acquainted with the
rehabilitation process as well as the resettlement of the displaced
persons.
In Neyala and Zalengi in Darfur, Natsios met with leaders of the
tribes and made a telephone contact with Abdul Wahid Mohammed Nour,
the leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and urged
him to join the political process in a view that his absence was
not good to the people of Darfur.
Nour, who is currently living in France, has threatened to
boycott the Tripoli talks.
(Xinhua News Agency October 5, 2007)
