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President Thabo Mbeki to attend the Funeral Service of Dr John
Garang, Late Sudanese Vice President Addis Ababa-President Thabo Mbeki will
depart Addis Ababa on Saturday 6 August 2005 to join African leaders in paying
their respects at the funeral service of the late Sudanese Vice President and
the leader of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army, Dr. John Garang scheduled
for Juba on Saturday. President Mbeki was in Ethiopia to attend the 4th
Extraordinary Summit of the African Union to discuss the Africa's position regarding
the comprehensive reform of the UN. President Mbeki also chaired the meeting of
the African Union Peace and Security Council which discussed current developments
in Sudan and Mauritania.
President Mbeki's visit to Sudan follows an earlier
visit to the country by Foreign Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who in her
capacity as the Chairperson of the African Union Ministerial Committee of the
Post-Conflict Reconstruction of the Sudan, visited the country where she met with
both the Sudanese Government and the leadership of the SPLM/A. Earlier in
the week, President Mbeki had joined other African leaders and the international
community in expressing its hope that both the government and the SPLM/A would
remain seized with the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement reached earlier
this year. Accordingly, South Africa welcomes the statements by both government
and the SPLM/A leadership to remain committed to the comprehensive peace agreement.
South Africa will, in its capacity as the chair of the African Union Post-Conflict
Reconstruction, continue to provide its unequivocal support to the people of Sudan
in their endeavour in their quest for peace and stability. President Mbeki
reiterates South Africa's heartfelt condolences to President Omar Bashir, the
government and the people of Sudan, the leadership of the SPLM/A and in particular
the widow and the family members of the late Dr. John Garang during this time
of bereavement. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa at 082-990-4853
South African
Mission
Addis Ababa, Ethopia
5 August 2005. | 
