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'Support Peace Deal'

New Vision (Kampala)
NEWS
April 16, 2004
Posted to the web April 16, 2004

By Richard Mutumba
Kampala
SUDAN has asked neighbouring countries including Uganda to avoid provoking
negative effects of the outcome of the long awaited Sudan / SPLA peace accord.
"No behaviour of any stakeholder in the sub-region should be imperceptible in
regard to this forthcoming peace accord. Sudan has injected huge amounts of
energy and effort in that respect," Foreign minister, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismaiel
said at the opening of the Uganda/Sudan permanent ministerial commission
meeting.
First Deputy Premier and Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Lt.
Gen Moses Ali opened the three-day meeting taking place at Hotel Africana in
Kampala, yesterday. The meeting will consider a number of important bilateral
draft legal agreements in various sectors including among others security,
trade and investment, refugees, immigration and customs.
"It is our unshakable conviction that war and sabotage do no good to any one.
This is why we in Sudan spared no effort in gearing all our resources towards
reaching a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace agreement," the minister
said.
Flanked by the acting foreign minister, Maj. Tom Butime, Dr. Osman said Sudan
and Uganda were expected to behave positively towards the outcome of the peace
accord. "The legal and moral obligation on both countries is a decisive and
critical one especially during the interim six-year period after which a
referendum on Southern Sudan will take place," he added.
He proposed establishment of a joint forum to monitor the joint border. He
suggested that the two governments confer some mutually agreed powers on the
local administrators to help them discharge their duties without waiting for
the two capitals to intervene.
Deputy Premier Moses Ali said Uganda was hopeful that the resolution of the
Sudanese conflict would bring to an end the problems of cross-border incursions
and refugees.
"We sincerely believe that peace in Sudan will mean peace in Uganda and other
neighbouring countries in the region," he said.

   

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