U.S. President Barack Obama's chief counterterrorism advisor John Brennan is travelling to Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this week, the White House has revealed.
The White House said Brennan was in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Wednesday to meet with Sudanese government officials and discuss the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Brennan also talked with the Sudanese officials about the ongoing review of Sudan's inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the importance of counterterrorism cooperation.
"Mr. Brennan underscored President Obama's deep concern over the continued presence of Sudanese Armed Forces in Abyei and urged a rapid and peaceful resolution to the crisis and to resolving outstanding CPA issues," the White House said.
The White House added that Brennan's trip reflects Obama's personal commitment to a peaceful resolution of the problems that have beset the region.
Brennan will next travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he will meet with government officials to discuss options to address the deteriorating situation in Yemen.
"We strongly condemn the recent clashes in Sana'a and the deplorable use of violence by the government against peaceful demonstrators in Taiz," the White House said, calling on President Saleh to sign the GCC-brokered transition proposal and to immediately begin the transfer of power.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com