SUDANESE MINISTER SAYS REGIONAL MEETING APPROVED PEACE PLAN FOR SOMALIA
match; BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom ; 29-Mar-2000 12:00:00 am 

Text of report in English by Sudanese news agency Suna on 28th March

Khartoum, 28th March: Minister of External Relations Dr Mustafa Uthman Isma'il said that the recent emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of IGAD [Inter-Governmental Authority on Development] countries has approved a plan for realizing national reconciliation and peace in Somalia, following discussion of the initiative of Djibouti for realizing peace in Somalia.

He said in a press statement that Sudan's delegation to the conference has participated in the discussion and gave a number of remarks on the plan.

Dr Isma'il indicated that the IGAD foreign ministers have praised the role which is being exerted by Djibouti toward realization of reconciliation in Somalia. He said that an agreement has been reached for holding the general conference for peace in Somalia during 20th April-5th May to elect the Somali parliament, which will then elect the president of the republic and the prime minister and form the Somali government. He said that the Somali parliament is due to commence its sessions by the end of May in Mogadishu. Dr Isma'il said that [the] opening of the Somali parliament's sessions will be followed by convening a conference for attracting international aid for realizing stability and development in Somalia.

The minister, meanwhile, indicated that the IGAD ministerial meeting has unanimously elected Sudan's nominee, Dr Atallah Hamad al-Bashir, as the executive secretary of the organization for the coming four years.

Dr Isma'il said that he conveyed a message from the president of the republic [Staff Lt-]Gen Umar al-Bashir to Djibouti President Omar Gelleh dealing with means of consolidating the bilateral relations, besides convocation of the joint Sudanese-Djibouti ministerial committee which was set up last November.

The minister indicated that he acquainted President Gelleh, in his capacity as chairman of the IGAD, about the recent developments in the issue of national accord and peace in Sudan, adding that he reviewed with [the] Djibouti president issues related to reactivating the role of IGAD organization and boosting its initiatives for Sudan and Somalia.

Dr Isma'il went on to say that he held talks with the Ethiopian foreign minister during a brief visit to Ethiopia, indicating that he also conveyed to the Ethiopian prime minister, Meles Zenawi, a written message from the president of the republic, Gen Umar al-Bashir, dealing with bilateral and regional issues and the developments in the region and Africa. He added that the message of President Bashir to Prime Minister Zenawi also dealt with coordination of stances between Sudan and Ethiopia during the coming African-European Conference, scheduled for Cairo in early next April.