Reuters Soundbite:
UN Ambassador Rice (Feb. 9): "We are marking the historic completion of the Southern Sudan referendum, and the decision by over ninety-eight percent of the people of Southern Sudan to choose independence. I reiterated the United States’ determination, as expressed by President Obama, to recognize the new independent state of Southern Sudan next July, and we underscore that we very much look forward to that moment.
"We’re looking at, we, the entire Council, are looking at our upcoming travel plans for 2011 and obviously Sudan is an issue in which there is continuing intense interest. So it’s something that we’re all thinking about." Full Text»