France Pledges to Help Sudan Return to International Community and Global Economy

Jean Yves Le Drian

Khartoum, Sep. 16 (SUNA) - France has affirmed its stand with Sudan to complete the chan-ge brought about by the Forces of Freedom and Change by supporting civil society organiza-tions and working with the Sudanese people in the various cultural, social, educational and research fields. The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said his country was closely following up all developments in the Sudanese arena that led to the change, indicating that the Sudane-se people still have another way to go. The visiting French Foreign Minister Le Drian said in a meeting with leaders of the Forces of Freedom and Change at the French Cultural Center that France had "admired" the news of the peaceful youth revolution in Sudan, which had not been dragged into violence until its goals of change had been achieved. The French minister expressed his appreciation of the Sudanese youth and women who led the movement and who showed rare courage, and expressed his condolences to the leaders of freedom and change in the victims of the revolution. He pointed out that his arrival and the accompanying delegation in Sudan is aimed to opening of a new chapter of relations with Sudan, in a way that reflects on the stability of the local, African and Arab levels. He stressed that France wants to help the revolutionists and the government to build a new Sudan so as to be a model for Africa and the Arab world. The French Foreign Minister asserted to the leaders of the Forces of Freedom and Change, who were represented by Dr. Mohamed Naji Al-Assam, Khalid Omer, Mariam Al-Saddiq, Merfat Hamadal-Neil and Nahid Jabr, that France is ready to help Sudan return to the interna-tional economic and political community. He said he leaves it to the leaders of freedom and change to determine the areas where France can provide support to Sudan in the next few weeks, especially the projects of Suda-nese civil society, led by the Forces of Freedom Change. The French Foreign Minister said that he discussed during his meeting with the leaders of the government and the Sovereign Council ways to strengthen the relations between Sudan by focusing on the cultural, scientific and archeological aspects, pointing out that the meeting at the French Cultural Center was indication of this cultural symbolism. MO