Khartoum: Sudan insists on solving neighboring crisis for genuine peace

The Sudanese foreign minister Mustafa Othman Ismael warned yesterday on that the likely peace agreement in Sudan might not stand unless leaders of the region will abide by settling other regional crisis.

He said during his visit to the Uganda's capital Kampala that "there should be a settlement there in north Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Sudanese settlement should not be viewed separately."

The Sudanese foreign minister warned that the Sudanese settlement "will fail unless it is viewed within the comprehensive regional framework. Security and political problems in these countries should be solved, otherwise the whole region will move into a negative direction."

Ismael considered that Sudan overcame the phase of fighting through negotiations with the southern rebels. He said "what is left is a political settlement and the political conflict. But we think should we aspire a comprehensive peace in Sudan, this will be within the framework of the region as a whole."

Meantime, the rebels of Darfour to the west of Sudan expressed their fear that the peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the southern rebels led by John Garang will open the way before Khartoum to eliminate them.

The secretary general of the Sudan's liberation movement, Many Arko al-Menawi, said that the government "negotiates with the southern people under the pressure of the international community and military pressures in the south, the west and the east." He considered that an agreement between Khartoum and the southern rebels will constitute a means in the hand of the government in order to re-organize itself to eliminate the "rebels movements" in the margined areas ( of Sudan), especially our movement."