UNITAMS head: ‘Mission will continue to assist political transition in Sudan’

UN Special Representative for Sudan and head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes has announced that following the June 3 decision by the UN Security Council to extend the mandate of the mission for a year, UNITAMS will continue the same strategic objectives till the end of the transitional period to implement its mandate of assisting in the political transition process in Sudan, supporting the peace agreement, peace building and protection of civilians, and mobilisation of economic resources to Sudan.

Addressing a press conference at the mission’s officed in Khartoum yesterday, Perthes presented briefing on a number of issues pertinent to the work of the mission. He noted that he had travelled to Paris and some other European countries and would also go to the Gulf and US to mobilise support to Sudan for peace building, disclosing that some marked progress was achieved concerning relieving Sudan of foreign debts.

Perthes noted that the mediation of South Sudan is assuming an effective role in reaching peace agreement between the transitional government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), indicating that the two parties to the peace talks have reached agreements on many issues, and that the Declaration of Principles that was signed in March constituted the basis for the talks.

He concluded that the mediation and UNITAMS would continue efforts to bring the views of the two parties to the peace process closer together on the remaining issues in a view to reaching agreement as soon as possible.

Video: SUNA

No final agreement

The South Sudanese mediation decided to adjourn the direct negotiation sessions between the Sudanese transitional government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) indefinitely yesterday, to hold further consultations on the remaining contentious issues between the two parties, who have failed to reach a final agreement on a number of issues that were discussed in the draft framework.

South Sudanese Presidential Advisor Tut Gatluak, the head of the mediation team, said in a press statement, countersigned by the negotiating parties, that the mediation would conduct contacts between the delegations of the Sudanese transitional government and SPLM-N to bring their views closer together in order to create conducive conditions for the next round of negotiations.