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| Sunday, 17 March 2002 |
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U.S., Sudanese rebels say optimistic about peace WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell met Sudanese rebel leader John Garang on Friday and the two sides said they were optimistic about the prospects for an end to a civil war now in its 19th year. Garang, commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), told reporters:"There is a window of opportunity for the peace process in the Sudan to move forward." "Both the secretary and Mr. Garang noted the momentum that seems to be starting up in the process of resolving the issues in Sudan," added State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. But Garang added a note of caution, saying he did not trust the government in Khartoum to keep to agreements such as the one reached in Switzerland in January. The latest agreement, mediated in part by U.S. envoy John Danforth, includes a cease-fire in the Nuba mountains of central Sudan and a ban on attacks on civilians. The SPLA has been fighting the Khartoum government since 1983 to press its demand for greater autonomy for the African South from the mainly Arab and Muslim government in Khartoum. "As somebody who has been struggling with this regime who has declared jihad on my people, I don't have any confidence in that regime. They have signed many agreements that they have dishonored before," Garang said. The SPLA leader has not met a U.S. secretary of state at the State Department for years, although former Secretary Madeleine Albright did see him in Nairobi in 1999. Powell told Garang that the United States was committed to finding a peaceful and just solution to the war, Boucher said. "Mr. Garang thanked us for the assistance the United States has been giving, particularly in the area of education ... and said he needed further assistance, and we said we continue to support that area," he added. Garang said: "It is important for the U.S. to stay engaged, the U.S. has a major role to play in the peace process, both in the political negotiations and in the humanitarian field." |
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