President's Statement on Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement
January 9, 2005
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
I congratulate the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement on the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement. I
thank all the officials of the United States Government who have worked
hard to help achieve this agreement, including Secretary of State Colin
Powell, former Special Envoy for Sudan, Ambassador John Danforth, and
the Special Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, USAID Administrator
Andrew Natsios. I also thank the Inter-Governmental Authority on
Development, which sponsored the talks, and the government of Kenya,
which hosted them, and the governments of Norway and the United Kingdom,
and the African Union, which played constructive roles for peace.
Both sides should be proud of this accomplishment. The difficult work
of implementation must now begin. Only the implementation of this
agreement in good faith can result in long-term peace and development.
As we celebrate this positive movement toward peace in the
longstanding North-South conflict, we remember the conflict in Darfur
and the suffering it causes. This comprehensive peace agreement should
serve as an inspiration and model for both sides in their work toward
negotiating a peaceful resolution of the Darfur conflict. I call on the
Government of Sudan and on all Darfur rebel groups to live up to their
ceasefire commitments, to end atrocities, and to allow the free movement
of humanitarian workers and supplies. The United States will continue to
assist the people of Darfur in reaching a just and lasting peace.
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