US Special Envoy heads for Sudan, S. Sudan, Ethiopia

US Special Envoy for Sudan Princeton Lyman is to head today for Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia where he is expected to hold meetings with top officials, it was announced here Friday. The State Department said in a statement that in Khartoum and Juba, Lyman will "urge Sudanese and South Sudanese leaders to continue negotiations on outstanding post-Comprehensive Peace Agreement issues, specifically those related to oil and transitional financial arrangements, border trade and security, and implementation of the June 20 agreement on interim arrangements for Abyei." It added that Lyman will also "press the parties for an immediate end to conflict and unfettered humanitarian access in the Sudanese states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile." In Addis Ababa, the US Envoy will meet Government of Ethiopia and African Union officials "to discuss their efforts to assist the Sudanese parties in resolving these outstanding issues, as well as to discuss ongoing challenges in the activities of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)." "While in Khartoum, Special Envoy Lyman will also engage the Government of Sudan on the situation in Darfur, particularly relating to the priorities of UNAMID and the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur," according to the statement.