Oct 4, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — Chairperson of National Probe Committee (NPC) Abel Alier thanked the Sudanese president for accepting the request the committee had earlier presented of extending the duration of its work for three more months.

First VP John Garang

The mandate of the probe committee expired on September 16.

During his meeting with the NPC, led by the former Sudanese vice president Abel Alier, at the Republican Palace today, Omar al-Bashir was briefed on the works of the committee and the role it is playing to carry out its national duty.

The Sudanese President has expressed his appreciation to the efforts being made by the NPC for John Garang’s plane crash, chaired by Abel Alier, as well as fully completing its mission.

In a press statement, Abel Alier said that the committee will visit Uganda in the next few days to continue its investigations saying that they had made a great step.

Abel Alier said that the committee was working closely with countries in the region, Russia and USA to achieve their mission in the necessary way.

Former Sudanese First Vice-Presidrnt John Garang died on July 30 in a helicopter crash only days after moving to Khartoum to assume his new position as first vice president and was the emblematic figure of the January 9, 2005 peace deal that ended 21 years of deadly north-south civil war.

(ST)