NEWS RELEASES

January 18, 2005 (2:30 p.m. EST)
No. 10

CANADA APPLAUDS SECOND PEACE AGREEMENT IN SUDAN

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today applauded the signing of a preliminary peace agreement between the Government of Sudan and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the umbrella group encompassing most of Sudan’s organized political opposition.

“It is very encouraging that many of Sudan’s chronic conflicts are being resolved,” said Minister Pettigrew. “This preliminary agreement positions Sudan to end more than a dozen years of low-level conflict in the east and north, and follows the end of the decades-long civil war in the south. This bodes well for real progress for peace throughout Sudan in the near future.”

“One of the major groups involved in the Darfur dispute, the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement, is a member of the NDA,” noted Senator Mobina Jaffer, Canada’s Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan. “The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement, which just signed a peace settlement in southern Sudan, has consultative linkages with the NDA. I trust that these organizations can work together with the Government of Sudan in a spirit of goodwill to bring about a speedy and effective political settlement to the conflict in Darfur.”

For over 20 years, the Government of Canada has worked to address Sudan’s underlying political problems through vigorous diplomatic efforts. Since 2003, Canada has contributed over $40 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), for the protection of those affected by the conflict and support for peacebuilding efforts.

More information on Canada’s efforts to address the conflict in Sudan can be found on the Government of Canada’s Web site at http://canadasudan.gc.ca.

- 30 -

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Sébastien Théberge
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851

Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs Canada
(613) 995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca