Sudan and Chad should move forward with speed and normalize their relations in line with the spirit of the Dakar peace agreement, which was signed by the leaders of the two countries, Republic of Congo's foreign minister Basile Ikouebe has said.
"Both countries should continue to undertake actions to promote the normalization of relations in accordance with the consultations that were held on the sidelines of the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Yakohama in Japan, the minister said Tuesday.
The minister was speaking when he addressed a meeting of the third ministerial meeting of the contact group on the implementation of the Dakar Agreement on peace and security between Chad and Sudan, according to official sources.
The meeting, which discussed the status of relations between the two countries, was held in Brazzaville under the co-chairmanship of Basile Ikouebe and Ibrahim Tahar Elhamali Ajal, secretary of Libya People's office.
The contact group, according to reliable sources, discussed the report of experts on defense and security and also assessed relations between Chad and Sudan, two countries at loggerheads over the presence of two rebellions on their respective territories.
After considering the various points, the meeting agreed to unanimously condemn the attack that was perpetrated by rebels against the legal institutions of Sudan on May 10, and urged both countries to stop issuing any media statements that might aggravate their common dispute.
Given the harmful nature of rebel groups in relations between Chad and Sudan, the group called the international community to take multifaceted actions in order to prevent the already "tense situation" from escalating further.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Gabon, Senegal, the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Other participants, according to diplomatic sources, included observers from the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, France and Britain.
The meeting was also attended by Chadian External Relations Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat and Mutrif Siddig, who represented the Sudanese foreign ministry, according to the same sources.
In agreement with the two countries, the contact group, which is co-chaired by Republic of Congo's President Sassou N'Guesso andLibyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, decided to convene another meeting, in either Sudan or Chad, to continue and enrich the work that was initiated in Tripoli.
Source:Xinhua
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