Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivers remarks on the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan to the United Nations Security Council in New York, New York on May 2, 2012. [Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, deliver remarks to the press on Sudan. South Sudan, and Syria at the United Nations in New York, New York on April 25, 2012. [Go to http://video.state.gov for more video and text transcript.]

The United States strongly condemns Sudan’s military incursion into South Sudan yesterday and calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of all Sudanese armed militia from South Sudan. Sudan must immediately halt the aerial and artillery bombardment in South Sudan by the Sudan Armed Forces. Sudan and South Sudan must end all military support for rebel groups within the other country.

We recognize the right of South Sudan to self-defense and urge South Sudan to exercise restraint in its reaction to Sudan’s attack in Unity State and to refrain from disproportionate actions which would only further enflame the hostilities between the parties. We welcome South Sudan’s withdrawal from Heglig, and we urge that South Sudan complete a total withdrawal of all South Sudanese armed forces deployed across the January 1, 1956 border.

Both governments must agree to an immediate unconditional cessation of hostilities and recommit to negotiations under the auspices of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel. We urge both parties to activate without delay the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism, including unarmed observers from both parties supported by UN observers.

As President Obama stated in his message to the people of Sudan and South Sudan, “All those who are fighting must recognize that there is no military solution. The only way to achieve real and lasting security is to resolve your differences through negotiation.”

MR. TONER: Thank you very much, and thanks to everyone for joining us on relatively short notice. We’re very fortunate to have Ambassador Princeton Lyman, who is the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan joining us from Khartoum, where he is carrying out meetings, and I believe has more meetings yet still to come. But he took some time out of his schedule. He’s here to brief on recent developments in Sudan and South Sudan, and read out his recent trip to Juba as well as his meetings in Khartoum.

So without further hesitation or further pause, I’ll just hand it over to Ambassador Lyman.

AMBASSADOR LYMAN: Mark, thank you very much. Thanks to all of you for being on the line. Let me give a quick kind of overview of what’s going on from our point of view and then want to take your questions.

We are, of course, dealing with a very, very serious crisis between Sudan and South Sudan, one in which armed clashes are taking place, and a major event took place a few days ago with the – South Sudan’s occupation of the Heglig area. First of all, it’s important to note that the reaction and position of the international community was quick and absolutely unified, and it wasn’t by coordination. We all just – all saw the situation the same way – that this was an extremely dangerous step by South Sudan and it threatened a much wider conflict. MORE

The United States is alarmed by the threat of greater violence between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-Northern Sector (SPLM-N) in Southern Kordofan State. Any such fighting will only worsen the humanitarian crisis there and lead to more civilian casualties. The conflict in Southern Kordofan and neighboring Blue Nile is also fuelling mistrust between Sudan and South Sudan and the United States is deeply concerned about the potential for a resumption of direct conflict between the North and South. Rather than risk the potential for war, both countries should prepare in good faith for the summit planned for early April between President Salva Kiir of South Sudan and President Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan.

The United States urgently calls on the Government of Sudan and the SPLM-N to agree on a cessation of hostilities. We reiterate our demand that the SAF end aerial bombardments of civilian areas and immediately allow unhindered humanitarian access to civilians in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. We also demand that South Sudan end any military support for the SPLM-N and work with the Government of Sudan on ways jointly to bring peace to the border region. We hope that the upcoming summit will focus on this objective along with issues such as oil and nationalities. We strongly condemn all violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, and demand that those responsible be held accountable for their actions.

The renewed fighting in North Darfur among SAF, rebel groups, and paramilitary forces further deepens the crisis in that region and threatens the progress made since the signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July 2011. We are deeply concerned about the displacement of civilians from their home areas. We urge the Government of Sudan, the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Mission in Darfur, and the newly established Darfur Regional Authority to address this situation urgently