Contact: Dr. Joyce Neu, Carter Center in Nairobi (254-2) 250 900
Deanna Congileo, Carter Center in Atlanta (404) 420-5108
Nairobi, Kenya….The following statement is issued by the delegation leaders, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, minister in charge of the presidency, Uganda, and Ali Numeiri, minister of state in the Ministry of External Relations, Sudan.
Representatives of the Sudanese and Ugandan governments issued the following statement today at the conclusion of three days of talks here on normalizing relations between their two countries. The talks were held under the auspices of The Carter Center to consider the next steps for implementing the provisions of an 11-point agreement between Sudan and Uganda signed by Sudan President Omar Hasan Ahmed Al-Bashir and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni in Nairobi on Dec. 8, 1999. The agreement was mediated by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and witnessed by Kenya President Daniel Arap Moi.
Their statement:
With this agreement in place, the delegations noted the progress so far in implementing the provisions of the 11-point agreement signed by our presidents in Nairobi on Dec. 8, 1999. Our follow-up meetings January 19-21 in Nairobi have been productive and conducted in a spirit of cooperation as we jointly seek to build stronger and lasting relations between the two nations. We extend special thanks to The Carter Center and President Carter for working with us over many months, first to craft an agreement for peace and now in agreeing to play a continuing role in implementing it. We also want to express our profound thanks and appreciation to the Government of Kenya for the generosity and facilities extended to us. The Ministerial Committee and its subcommittees will meet again next month.
We reviewed important developments on the steps each of our countries has taken to implement the agreement, including the return of Sudanese prisoners of war by the Government of Uganda and the return of LRA abductees facilitated by the Government of Sudan. We also set up the Joint Ministerial Committee as called for in the Nairobi agreement to establish a timetable for specific steps leading to the restoration of full diplomatic relations.
That committee designated three subcommittees to deal with political, security, and humanitarian issues. The meeting concluded with both countries pledging to redouble their efforts to fully and expeditiously implement the provisions of the Nairobi agreement.
Background: The agreement between Sudan and Uganda to restore diplomatic relations and promote peace was mediated by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and witnessed by Kenya President Daniel Arap Moi during a signing ceremony Dec. 8 in Nairobi. It includes pledges to: renounce the use of force to resolve differences; disband and disarm terrorist groups; respect each country's sovereignty and territorial integrity; cease support to any rebel groups; return all prisoners of war to their respective nations; locate and return abductees to their families; and offer amnesty and reintegration assistance to all former combatants who renounce the use of force.
President Al-Bashir and President Museveni invited President Carter last spring to facilitate their discussions on improving bilateral relations between their two countries. Since then, the Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program has continued to work with high-level representatives of each government to define an agenda for an agreement and action steps to implement it.
The Center Center is a nongovernmental organization that promotes peace and health worldwide. Its Conflict Resolution Program has been instrumental in advancing peace processes in Bosnia, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Liberia, North Korea, and Sudan.
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