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Federal Minister Westerwelle and Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti speak on telephone
Plans for a visit to the Sudan by Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had to be postponed yesterday (15 June) because of the ash cloud over that country. The Minister therefore spoke to his Sudanese opposite number, Foreign Minister Ali Karti, on the telephone today. In their conversation, they agreed to postpone the meeting that had been planned and discussed the current situation in the border region of Abyei.
Foreign Minister Westerwelle also appealed to Foreign Minister Karti to engage in peaceful negotiations about all issues relevant to the secession of South Sudan:
I call on both sides to work towards a peaceful and viable solution for Abyei and to take a constructive approach on all the other issues which need to be addressed. Only as partners and in a spirit of good neighbourliness will the two states develop to the benefit of all Sudanese people. Germany stands ready to play its part.
