Volker Berts: Points of compatibility between military components outweigh points of contention

The representative of the troika, Volker Peretz, stressed the importance of a unified and modern Sudanese army, to serve the homeland and citizens in line with the democratic and civilian transition.

In his speech at the opening of the security and military reform workshop, Peretz praised the progress and consensus between the political forces and the military component in moving towards the final agreement of the political process.

He continued: “I am happy to be among you to open the Security and Military Reform Workshop and the efforts of stakeholders to achieve an approach between the parties.”

He noted that the points of consensus in the political process between the military components outweighed the points of contention, which could contribute to overcoming obstacles to the political agreement.

Volker called on non-signatories to catch up with the political process, and said that needed flexibility, considering that the Juba Peace Agreement was a reference for security reform.

For his part, the representative of the European Union said that the Security and Military Reform Workshop sent a clear message about the political process’s progress towards civilian governance, adding that the security sector reform process was a lengthy one. He noted that security and military reform were among the most important issues facing the Sudan, indicating that without reform the Sudan would not be able to achieve peace and stability.

The Quartet welcomed the workshop and reiterated its encouragement to participants to build minimum consensus and establish a civilian Government, announcing that it stood by the agreement, security and military reform and technical support.