Foreign Minister Receives UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations

Khartoum,  (SUNA) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mariam Al-Saddiq Al-Mahdi, received in her office on Wednesday the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, accompanied by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfitt Onanga Anyanga.

The minister reiterated Sudan firm position regarding the replacement of the Ethiopian forces participating in the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) UNISFA with other forces, given the current changes in relations with Ethiopia and the loss of its forces to neutrality.

The minister also praised the great role being played by the UNISFA in keeping peace in the Abyei area, pointing to the efforts of the government of Sudan to achieve amicable solution to the dispute over the area with South Sudan State and by reactivating the role of the joint mechanism for border monitoring and verification, in addition to reactivation of the other mechanisms.

On his part, Lacroix stated that he is in contact with South Sudan State and Ethiopia for reaching a compromise formula to ensure a smooth replacement process without creating a vacuum in the mission’s task, in addition to assessing the Sudan and South Sudan commitment to the agreement on the border issue.

Lacroix also emphasized the importance of integrating the efforts of IGAD with the efforts of the United Nations and the African Union on the exit process.