US sends top envoys to Sudan

2005-08-01 21:13

Washington - The United States dispatched two senior envoys to Sudan on Monday in hopes of keeping the peace process in the African state on track after the death of former rebel leader and vice-president John Garang.

Connie Newman, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Roger Winter, special representative for Sudan, headed for Khartoum and the country's south, said state department spokesperson Tom Casey.

Casey said the two would "confer with the parties and encourage them to maintain momentum on the comprehensive peace agreement" signed in January to end two decades of civil war, and to press efforts to end the crisis in Darfur.

They were dispatched as Sudanese officials confirmed that a helicopter carrying Garang, the ex-rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), crashed in southern Sudan, killing all passengers and crew on board.

Casey said secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who visited Sudan on July 31, spoke on Monday with Garang's widow, Rebecca, and contacts were under way with Sudanese officials in Washington and in Khartoum.

The state department announcement came after White House spokesperson Scott McClellan expressed condolences for Garang's death and pledged renewed efforts to restore peace to the troubled country.

Peaceful succession a priority

"The United States remains strongly committed to the peace process in Sudan and insisting on the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement and also working to resolve the situation in Darfur," said McClellan.

Casey said that among the first priorities was an orderly and peaceful succession to Garang, 60, who became vice-president only three weeks ago after the peace deal to end Africa's longest-running civil war.

US officials acknowledged Garang's death would be a blow as they had counted him to help end the bloodshed in Darfur - deemed genocide by Washington - that has left up to 300 000 people dead and 2.5 million homeless since February 2003.

Meeting a wide range of people

Casey did not have an exact itinerary for Newman and Winter, named last week as special representative for deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick, who has made three trips to Sudan this year.

"I expect they'll be meeting a wide range of Sudanese government officials as well as representatives of the SPLM in southern Sudan," he said.

He was unable to say if this included President Omar al-Beshir.

- AFP