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AU DPA Implementation Office Inaugurated in Khartoum
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Aug 13, 2006 - 8:53:00 PM

 

AFRICAN UNION

 

 

                                                   

AFRICAN UNION MISSION IN The SUDAN

                       

                        AMIS HQs

P. O. Box 8372, Khartoum, SUDAN   Tel.: (0183) 582207/9 Fax: 002491-83-582206

Email: [email protected]

                                      

Press Release

 

 

 

AU DPA Implementation Office Inaugurated in Khartoum

 

 

The African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) officially inaugurated the DPA Implementation office in Khartoum�s Riyadh area yesterday 12 August 2006.

 

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Senior Assistant to the President of Sudan, Mr. Minni Minawi, and officials of the SLA/M, signatories of the Declaration of Commitment (DOC), senior government officials, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and AU partners, senior AMIS staff and UNMIS officials. Addressing the gathering the Head of the AU Darfur Peace Agreement Implementation Team Ambassador Sam Bassey Ibok noted that while the DPA was a document of compromise, its implementation was an act of faith and in this connection he appealed to all stakeholders to join hands in this exercise in order to make a difference.

 

He recalled the background to the Darfurian crisis, adding that the population of Darfur has suffered unnecessarily for too long and that the surest path to durable peace and security there was through implementation of the Abuja Agreement by all stakeholders including those who have so far not signed it.

 

Ambassador Ibok also said that the tendency of some Darfurians to misrepresent and distort the DPA is counterproductive and unacceptable, and he appealed to all Darfurians still outside the peace train to join hands and end the conflict in their homeland.

 

Ambassador Ibok also took the opportunity to express the profound appreciation of Prof. Alpha Omar Konare, Chairperson of the AU Commission and the entire Union to all its partners and to the United States of America in particular, for their generosity in providing the premises for the DPA Implementation office in Khartoum and in El Fasher, describing this as clear testimony of the commitment of the international community to the people of Darfur.

 

For his part, Mr. Minni Minawi thanked the African Union and donor countries, and in particular the US Administration, for their support for the Abuja Agreement. He stressed the importance of the voluntary repatriation of internally displaced persons to their homes and villages across Darfur, pledging to make a significant contribution in his new capacity to creating peace and stability in that troubled region.

 

Earlier, Dr. Omar Rahma, Secretary of the GoS Operations Room for the Implementation of the DPA also reiterated the Government�s commitment to the peace process and their appreciation for the US Administration�s support in placing the facility at the disposal of the DPA Implementation team, adding that co-operation in this exercise was vital at this critical time. Dr. Abderrahmane Moussa representing those who had signed the Declaration of Commitment to the DPA also spoke of the need to work together on behalf of the people of Darfur.

 

Ambassador Cameron Hume, Charg d�Affaires of the US Embassy in reply, commended the courage of all those in Darfur who had stood up for peace and supported the DPA. �The risks of war are worse than the risks of peace,� he said.

 

The AMIS Acting Head of Mission Madam Monique Mukaruliza closed the ceremony by expressing her own thanks and those of Ambassador Kingibe, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, to all those involved in making the implementation office a reality. She also particularly thanked the Government of the United States for generously providing the DPA implementation offices in Khartoum and El Fasher, which will facilitate the work of the implementation team.

 

The Acting Head of Mission extended her deep gratitude to all partners for their unfailing support to the AU in its role in seeking lasting stability in the Darfur region, and acknowledged on behalf of the pan-African organisation the commitments and determination of the Government of Sudan, the SLA/M, Minni Minawi, and all signatories to the Declaration of Commitment regarding the implementation of the DPA.

 

13 August 2006, Khartoum.

 

 

 

 

 

 



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