KHARTOUM, Jul 21, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX)
-- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Thursday confirmed his government's
readiness to push forward with peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja
to end the country's Darfur conflict.
The president made the remarks here
during his meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice,
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail told reporters.
Ismail said al-Bashir expressed his hope that the upcoming round of peace talks with the Darfur rebels would be final and decisive to enable the government to normalize the situations in the region.
Al-Bashir also thanked Rice for the efforts the US administration has been exerting to realize peace in Sudan, Ismail added.
On the meeting of Sudanese First Vice President John Garang with Rice, Ismail said Garang called on the US administration to fulfill its pledges made in April at an international donor conference in Oslo.
Garang urged the US administration to deliver humanitarian aid and services to the whole Sudan, including the war-affected areas in the south, east and Darfur.
Meanwhile, Garang also stressed the commitment of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), under his leadership, to work as part of the Sudanese national unity government to end the disputes in eastern Sudan and in Darfur, said Ismail.
According to the Sudanese foreign minister, Rice reaffirmed the US commitment to fulfill its pledges in Oslo conference and to work with the Sudanese government to handle the situations in Darfur and to implement the southern Sudan peace agreement.
Rice arrived in Khartoum early on Thursday for a one-day visit to Sudan, during which she paid a visit to the war-torn western region of Darfur.