Sudan: Workshops Between the Government of Sudan and Sudan People's Liberation Movement

The United States congratulates the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement on the progress made in a workshop held here in Washington. The workshops, held at the invitation of the United States, allowed two parties to meet and have discussions in order to improve the climate of negotiations in advance of the restarting of peace talks in January. The following is the text of a joint statement made by the two parties on December 20.

The two parties appreciate the invitation of the United States to participate in workshops in Washington December 18-19 regarding power-sharing, wealth-sharing, and other issues. The workshops and related meetings with senior U.S. officials were helpful in focusing attention on key outstanding issues in the negotiations with a view towards facilitating progress in the peace talks when they resume early next year.

The two sides agreed on the necessity to strengthen the coordination mechanism in the Memorandum of Understanding on the cessation of hostilities. The two sides agreed to facilitate communication between them on a range of issues, and on the need to avoid provocative rhetoric unhelpful to the peace process. The two sides agreed to begin working together on a work plan for the pre-interim period in the expectation that a peace settlement will be achieved.

The two sides take this opportunity to reaffirm their strong commitment to achieving a just and comprehensive peace settlement as quickly as possible. They welcome the continued efforts of the United States and its Troika partners, the UK and Norway, to support the peace process being carried out under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).