The door to a better future for Sudan remains open.

This is a moment of great opportunity.

China is Sudan's largest economic partner, with a 40 share in Sudanese oil projects.

It requested Eritrea to respect the rights of neighbourliness and stop interfering in the internal affairs of the Sudan.

4. Recognizes the need for Operation Lifeline Sudan to be conducted in strict adherence to the principles of neutrality and impartiality and within the principles of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Sudan, and within the framework of international cooperation, in accordance with the relevant provisions of international law

We fully appreciate the wisdom of the members of the Council and their cooperation aimed at ensuring the unanimous adoption of this resolution so very important and historic for Sudan.

Clearly, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement presents many challenges and opportunities for the Sudan, the region, Africa and the world at large.

Letter dated 8 February 2005 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

Letter dated 14 March 2005 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

Letter dated 25 February 2005 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

The Conference also called on the Member States to provide urgent assistance to The Sudan in order to support its efforts aimed at addressing the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

For example, refugees leaving Sudan can strain the stability of neighboring Chad.

China also sold Sudan small arms, but since 2005, the United Nations has imposed an arms embargo on the Sudanese government because of the War in Darfur.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement is reproduced in the language of submission only.

In that context, it is worth noting the European Union's support for the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the framework of the European Security and Defence Policy.

Annex to the letter dated 25 February 2005 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

The 9 January signing of the north south Comprehensive Peace Agreement was indeed a historic moment for the Sudan.

Due note should be taken of the Sudan's strategic position in Africa and thus of the implications for the continent of any escalation in tensions.

This is a crucial moment for the Sudan, and a decisive one for the international community, in the resolution of decades of civil war in Africa's largest country.

Mr. Taha (Sudan) (spoke in Arabic) I should like to begin by thanking you, Mr. President, and the Council for having invited me to attend this important meeting on the Sudan.

The tragic and untimely death of First Vice President Garang just three weeks later on 30 July was a terrible loss for the Sudan.

The perseverance of the principal negotiators, First Vice President Ali Osman Taha, and the Chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, John Garang, embodies the promise of a new future for the Sudan.

For example, several large scale programme proposals are under preparation for the Sudan multi donor trust fund in the education and water and sanitation sectors.

Governments must deliver on the generous pledges of support they made to the Sudan at the April 2005 donor conference in Oslo.

At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and head of the peace support operation.

I appeal to those countries that have offered military personnel and equipment to the Sudan to do all they can to ensure timely deployment.

Letter dated 2 October 2003 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S 2003 934).

Letter dated 25 May 2004 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S 2004 425).

The Special Representative of the European Union for the Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, has visited the talks twice during this round, and several member States are represented there.

On 4 September, the caretaker Government of the Sudan and UNDP released the interim Sudan progress report for 2004 on the Millennium Development Goals.

Secondly, the cultural and social plurality of the Sudan is a positive asset that, with the restoration of political and social stability, could be used to achieve a unique unity based on pluralism.

As a neighbour of Sudan, Uganda was glad that the Mission's deployment was under way and that the international community had supported implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement through troop contributions and extrabudgetary resources.

At this meeting, the Security Council will hear a briefing by Mr. Jan Pronk, Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan.

In particular, the Special Adviser discussed with authorities the importance of ratification of the Convention during her mission to the Sudan, 4 to 11 September 2005.

In the lead up to that transition the Office of the Prosecutor did not make formal requests for assistance to the Sudan, but contacts with Sudanese authorities were maintained.

Moreover, the international community continues to pillory China for its arms sales to Sudan, which is believed to have used the weapons in the Darfur genocide.

Sharaf visited Sudan and agreed during this visit that Sudan was to plant 100 thousand acres in the Sudan as a first stage up to one million acres, to achieve food security for both Egypt and Sudan.

On 11 January, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the Sudan, Jan Pronk, briefed the Council on the situation in the Sudan and stressed that the Agreement initiated a process for peace consolidation.

Ms. Udo (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the African Group, thanked Norway for hosting the recent Oslo donors' conference, which had resulted in pledges for over 4.5 billion in aid for the Sudan.

As a result of those consultations and my knowledge of the situation, I am encouraged to believe that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement can be successfully applied and adapted to the conflicts in Darfur and eastern Sudan so that a comprehensive peace agreement may be achieved for the whole of the Sudan.

The comprehensive peace agreement for Sudan signed in 2005 turned out to be less comprehensive than envisaged, and its provisions may yet bear the seeds of a full scale return to war between north and south.

The combined total of all donor resources available for the Sudan in 2005 amounts to more than 1.4 billion, which corresponds roughly to one third of the total amount pledged in Oslo.

Undoubtedly, South Sudan would face colossal challenges as a sovereign state, but the alternative an inevitable return to war would be incalculably worse, both for Sudan and for Africa.

In this respect, we welcome the recent launching of the 2006 work plan for Sudan, which has called for 1.7 billion in resources to face the enormous humanitarian recovery challenges in the country.

During the reporting period, the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, during a visit to the Sudan, assessed the situation in Darfur and advocated ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.