Your Majesty, Excellencies, Mr Secretary-General,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to Norway and to Oslo. We are very pleased to see so many delegations coming together to support peace in Sudan.

We are all greatly honoured by the presence of her Majesty the Queen.

A very special welcome to our friends from Sudan: Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and SPLM Chairman Dr. John Garang de Mabior. You are here as members of one delegation, representing a united Sudan. Without your vision, will and courage we would not have been able to meet here today. We hope the results of this conference and our show of support will ease the heavy burden that has been placed upon your shoulders.

A special thanks also to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for attending, to new donors and to everyone from different parts of the world who have come here this morning.

The broad participation of delegates from almost every continent demonstrates that concern for Sudan is truly international, and that there is a real need for this meeting. As host nation, we are delighted to see such a strong international participation.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development – IGAD – which has spearheaded the negotiations for Sudan since 1994, and to the African Union.

And, if you allow me – a special thanks to the Chair of the conference, to you, dear Hilde, for being at the forefront of my government’s efforts and for your strong commitment and relentless work for the Sudanese people during so many years. Norway’s engagement for Sudan is a part of our overall efforts for peace and development.

The road to peace in the Sudan has been long, hard and uphill. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement is the result of the conviction, determination and resolve of the parties. Without the parties’ hard work, focussed attention, creativity and willingness to build lasting solutions, we would not have been able to witness the signing of the peace agreement in Nairobi on 9 January this year. Vice President Taha and Dr. Garang deserve our warmest congratulations for their efforts.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement is historic for Sudan, for Africa and for the international community.

The Agreement is the foundation for a new Sudan, the beginning of national unity, building on mutual respect between the different religions, cultures and ethnic groups of this vast and culturally mixed nation.

The Agreement is an important contribution to efforts to achieve regional stabilisation and peace and prosperity both in the region and throughout the African continent.

And the peace agreement is important to our global quest for peace. With IGAD in the lead, the international community has been successful in co-ordinating its resources and efforts to assist the parties. Norway is proud to have been part of these efforts.

But the results belong to you, the parties. You have been in the driver’s seat throughout this process. And you will continue to be in the lead throughout the crucial and difficult implementation stage that has yet to begin. You will have the main responsibility to carry the agreement from words to deeds. Our obligation will be to be there to support you in the implementation of the agreement and in the building of a new and peaceful Sudan.

The tasks ahead are many and daunting:

• To agree on an Interim National Constitution
• To form the government of unity in Khartoum, and
• To establish the new regional government of South Sudan
• To implement a complex and challenging peace agreement
• To bring people back to their homes and local communities
• To rebuild a society that has lived under the terror of war for the better part of the last century
• And to work and live peacefully together side by side as brothers and sisters in your wonderful country.

I will urge you not to hesitate, but to press forward with determination and follow the plan you have agreed between yourselves – and with us in the international community.

We count on you to lead the reconstruction of areas devastated by war. Your people deserve it. They have waited too long for a chance to return to their homes and to live in peace. They deserve to see their land be put back to use, for their fields to be cleared of mines, and for their communities to return to normalcy. They need to see the authorities providing for their needs and showing them and the international community that they are accountable and that their activities are transparent throughout the process.

We count on you to bring about reconciliation in local communities, and to include marginalised groups throughout the country and throughout Sudanese society, such as women, in the political processes.

We count on you to make the peace agreement truly national. All the political groups in Sudan must be included. Political solutions are also needed for the areas not covered by the agreement, especially for Darfur and eastern Sudan.

Because there is no peace in Sudan until the situation in Darfur has been solved. Security must be provided for the whole population and humanitarian assistance must be guaranteed in all areas. The African Union mission in Darfur should be bolstered to provide security in all areas of the region. The negotiations spearheaded by the African Union must continue and be urgently brought to a successful conclusion.

And, as we count on you to deliver, so you can count on us.

The international community will stand by your side as we have done throughout the IGAD-led peace process.

Together we can and will succeed in creating a peaceful and prosperous Sudan.

Sudan is now moving from making peace to building peace through political, economic and social development and security reforms. The support of the international community will be needed in all these fields.

We know this will take time, and will require concerted efforts and massive resources. In Sudan we are in for the long haul. I therefore call on donor countries, international organisations and NGOs to contribute to the rebuilding of Sudan. It is now important to show the Sudanese people, who have been suffering for so long, that peace pays.

Immediate humanitarian assistance must be provided to the internally displaced people and other returnees. The local communities must be supported. I call on all donors to pledge your support for humanitarian programmes, especially through the UN Work Plan 2005 for Sudan.

Massive support is also needed for the more long-term economic and social development of Sudan. The rehabilitation and reconstruction of all war-affected areas must be given our firm backing.

The Norwegian government is ready to continue todo its part, both in meeting humanitarian needs and in the reconstruction of the country. We are prepared to allocate 250 million USD over three years, from 2005 to 2007, of which 100 million USD will be channelled through the Multi Donor Trust Funds. I will urge donor countries to make extensive use of the Multi Donor Trust Funds.

A return to war is not an option. The parties to the Sudan Peace Agreement have shown the world that they are determined to walk down the road to peace together. They have come to Oslo and to this conference with a common message to the international community: walk with us the extra mile to help secure our peace agreement and show our people that the international community really cares about our future.

The broad participation by the international community at this conference is a strong response to this message. Our contribution will not only be to peace in the Sudan, but also to international peace and security. I urge all of you to pledge generously. It is up to us to help the Sudanese implement the peace agreement. It is up to us to show Sudan and its people that peace pays. Indeed, that peace will bring a new future to everyone in Sudan.

Thank you for your attention.