§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they intend to take to ensure that the agreement to cease hostilities between the Sudanese Government and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army makes the start of a viable, comprehensive ceasefire which can be integrated into the peace process. [HL5949]
§ Baroness Amos:We worked with our international partners to support the mediators' efforts to broker the agreement to cease hostilities. We publicly welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding at the time; and continue to urge the parties and other international actors to do nothing which might undermine the cessation of hostilities. We ran a ceasefire modalities workshop in Kent in January 2002 to expose the military on both sides to the raft of issues which would have to be addressed in discussions of an eventual ceasefire. We remain ready to support the discussions on a ceasefire at the peace talks at Machakos.
§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What work is being undertaken by the United Kingdom Special Representative for Sudan, Mr Alan Goulty, in view of the current situation in Sudan. [HL5950]
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§ Baroness Amos:Alan Goulty leads the UK contribution to the Sudan peace process. In fulfilling his mandate, he leads the UK observer delegation at the peace talks in Machakos and co-ordinates with the mediators and other observers at Machakos the means by which we can complement each other's efforts to deliver the best results. Mr Goulty carries out intensive consultations with both the Government of Sudan (GoS) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in Khartoum and elsewhere. He also ensures that UK policy and the peace process are fully understood by other interested governments and coordinates with international partners including the EU, our collective approach to implementing an eventual peace agreement.
§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is any evidence of the continued presence of Al'Qaeda and Egypt's Al-Islamiya in Sudan. [HL5951]
§ Baroness Amos:The Government of Sudan have increased their co-operation on countering international terrorism. However, we believe that, despite their efforts, elements of both Al'Qaeda and al Gama'a al Islamiya continue to use Sudan as a safe haven, primarily for logistical purposes.