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EU to observe elections in Sudan: AshtonBRUSSELS, Apr 09, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- European Union (EU) said in a statement on Friday that its independent electoral observation mission will observe Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections in Sudan. The decision to deploy one of EU's largest missions was taken in recognition of the importance of the Sudanese elections which should serve to open "the political space" and pave the way for a "democratic transformation," said Catherine Ashton, the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy in a statement. She encouraged all engaged Sudanese parties and stakeholders to contribute to satisfactory conditions, including removing the remaining technical, administrative and political obstacles, for the people of Sudan to cast their votes. The upcoming elections are an important benchmark in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between North and South Sudan, said the statement. The independent EU Electoral Observation Mission is continuously re-assessing the situation in order to guarantee the most appropriate deployment of its observers. "In Darfur, a number of parameters necessary for the full deployment of observers were reviewed, leading to necessary technical adjustments as regards their deployment in that region," the statement added. |