Communique Issued Following Meeting on Peace in the Sudan

1. At the initiative of H.E. Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya, a meeting was convened today 2nd April, 2003, between H.E. Omer Hassan Ahmed El-Bashir, President of the Republic of the Sudan and Dr. John Garang de Mabior, Chairman of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The meeting was held in a very friendly atmosphere.

2. President El-Bashir and Dr. Garang reviewed the peace process and reiterated their confidence in the mediators on behalf of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The two leaders agreed on the need to maintain the momentum towards reaching a comprehensive peace agreement.

3. They reaffirmed their commitment to honour the agreements reached between the parties, particularly the Machakos Protocol of 20th July, 2002, the Memorandum of Understanding on the Cessation of Hostilities and the related Addendum, and to facilitate unrestricted delivery of humanitarian assistance. They discussed possible ways to enhance the arrangements for monitoring and verifying the Cessation of Hostilities.

4. President El-Bashir and Dr. Garang agreed on the need to open communication channels between them and on effective modalities for enhancing communications at various levels. The leaders committed themselves to be forthright on upcoming issues in the negotiations with a view to boosting the peace process. They jointly expressed hope on reaching a final peace agreement by the end of June, 2003.

5. The parties expressed their gratitude for the financial and technical support provided by the international community particularly the IGAD Partners’ Forum and urged them to continue providing assistance to the peace process.

6. President Kibaki observed that the negotiations had reached a critical stage and urged the two parties to maintain their commitment and flexibility by making the necessary concessions required to end the conflict. He expressed satisfaction that both leaders are of similar minds on these issues.

7. President Kibaki welcomed the decision by both parties to resume the IGAD peace talks on the 6th to 16th April, 2003, to discuss security arrangements. He urged them to accelerate the pace of the negotiations in line with the time-frame proposed by the mediators.