The secretary of the General People's Committee for African Unity, chairman of the Executive Council of the Community of Sahel and Saharan States [Comessa] has made a statement to the Libyan news agency saying that the Sudanese government had informed the Great Jamahiriyah, in its capacity as current president of Comessa, that John Garang's forces [of the Sudan People's Liberation Army] had launched an attack into Sudanese territory from Eritrean soil. He added that the Sudanese government had asked the Great Jamahiriyah to intervene in the matter.

The brother leader of the revolution, chairman of Comessa's Presidential Council, then got in touch with the Eritrean president, Isayas Afewerki, and member of Comessa's Presidential Council, who told the brother leader that the report was not true and that Garang's forces had been present inside Sudanese territory for a long time and also that Eritrea had nothing to do with what had taken place. He added that his country was willing to accept an inquiry conducted by a civilian-military commission appointed by the brother leader of the revolution.

Thus, proceeding from the importance he attaches to security and peace in the Comessa area, the brother leader of the revolution has charged a civilian-military commission with conducting such an inquiry. The commission began its mission immediately and the Sudanese government has been informed about these measures.

These efforts made by the brother leader of the revolution to achieve peace are within the framework of the mission entrusted upon him by Comessa's Presidential Council which asked him to work to preserve security and achieve stability in the Comessa area in particular and in Africa in general in view of the esteem the brother leader enjoys with all the African parties concerned and also in view of his continuous interest in achieving peace in the African continent and uniting its efforts for the sake of development and stability with a view to reinforcing the progress of the great African Union.

Source: Libyan TV, Tripoli, in Arabic 1930 gmt 4 Oct 02

/ý BBC Monitoring