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21:53 GMT
WASHINGTON, April 9 (KUNA) -- The US said here Friday that the upcoming
Sudanese elections were an "important step" for its peace agreement.
State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters that it views
Sudan's elections as an "important step in the implementation of the
comprehensive peace agreement which ended a 22-year war between north and
south".
He indicated that "this weekend there will deployment of a large,
significant number of observers," which will include accredited domestic and a
number of international observers.
"We want to see these elections conducted in accordance with established
plans and in a way that will reflect the will of the Sudanese people" he added.
Crowley stressed the need to have fair elections, saying "the United States
will continue to raise concerns where we see them, but we continue to work
very, very hard with authorities there in the preparations, for these
elections on Sunday that will continue through much of next week. But we will
not hesitate to state when we think that these efforts fall short of
international standards". (end)
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