AL delegation visits Garang; Khartoum renews accusation to Israel of supporting its rebels
Sudan-Regional, Politics, 5/9/2003

A delegation representing the Arab League held talks with the leaders of the rebel movement in southern Sudan for the first time since 1953, while the spokesman for the Sudanese forces Lt. Gen. Muhammad Bashir Suleiman renewed accusations against Israel of supporting the southern rebels led by John Garang.

The chairman of the Arab cooperation department at the Arab League (AL) Samir Hosni said that the Arabs call for an active role in giving a push forward for the peace process in Sudan and rebuilding the country which was torn by the war. This was after he had presided over a meeting of the AL to southern Sudan in a first visit during 50 years.

Hosni announced that he is convinced that the People's front for the liberation of Sudan is serious concerning peace and it wants to preserve the unity of the largest country in the African continent concerning area.

Hosni said "the aim of the visit to the southern part of Sudan and the meeting with the leadership of the rebels (SPLA), is to build confidence between the AL and its member states in the political fields and in the social and developmental areas in southern Sudan. The delegation held talks with the leader of the rebels John Garang and other senior officials in southern Sudan last week in a first visit of its kind to the area since 1953.

The visit came following talks between Garang and the AL secretary general Amr Moussa in Cairo in April. Analysts said that the visit was a mark on that the AL views the rebels now on equal footing in the peace process in Sudan, a member of the AL. Hosni said "I am confident that the people's movement (rebels) is serious concerning reaching a peaceful solution for the crisis in Sudan." Hosni added "the main objective of the AL and its member states is to exert efforts in the political field and in developing southern Sudan to convince the people of the south that unity is an attractive alternative for them." Hosni added that the AL is attending the peace talks between Khartoum and the rebels which were resumed on Wednesday in Nairobi as an observer after the visit held by the AL delegation to southern Sudan.

Meantime, Suleiman said in a press statement that Israel supports the people's movement for the liberation of Sudan, led by John Garang. He added "this is reality. Israel by its expansionist aggressive thinking. This is not approved at Sudan's level, or at the level of the Arab states."

Previous Stories:
  Sudan: resumption of peace negotiations in Mashakos   (5/8/2003)
  Mubarak's Khartoum visit 'injected new blood in integration agreements'   (5/5/2003)
  On the Sudanese president's visit to Libya   (5/5/2003)
  Moussa confers with al-Meirghani   (4/8/2003)
  AL chief confers with Garang   (4/8/2003)
  Sudan urges Arab states to hurry in rebuilding the south   (3/10/2003)

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