According to BNA, president George W. Bush said the United States remains committed to the peace process in Sudan and urged its people to refrain from violence.
He said he was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sudanese Vice President John Garang de Mabior, whom he described as a "visionary leader and peacemaker" who helped bring about the end of a civil war between the north and south of the African nation that lasted for decades. Garang and 13 other people died Saturday when a helicopter crashed into a mountain in souther Sudan in bad weather. "The United States is determined to maintain our commitment to the peace process in Sudan, " Bush said in a statement. "We urge all Sudanese people to refrain from resorting to violence and to continue the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement." He said Garang's vision of peace must be embraced by all the people in Sudan so that they can live in a democratic, peaceful, and united country.
