i will hope you join me in a warm welcome for president thabo mbeki. [applause] president pierre buyoya. he president of burbuni di for 13 years. the longest-running president. i am excited to tell you he was once a former grantee. would you join me in welcoming president pierre buyoya. [applause] last but of course not least we are honored to have with us the man who served as president of the nigeria from june 1998 to may 1999. in addition to all the wonderful things that president abubakar has done, he was also the convoy from the u.n. to the condo. -- congo. i am delighted that he could be with us. join me in welcoming president abdulsalami abubakar. [applause] >> and mr. president, ladies and i have been asked by my colleague to introduce the conversation this afternoon. as you know, we are the african union high implementation panel. we started to work in march 2009 on dark for -- darfur. our mandate was extended to the world. we have been working with the sudanese to follow up the implementation of cpa. we have been asked by the sudanese to faci

thabo mbeki for achieving peace. and i think a big issue is the most important issue among those positive issues. what do you think if you make an additional effort to resolve the abyei issue, because the rest of the issues can be negotiated even after the secession of the south of sudan. thank you. >> abyei again. [laughter] >> yeah. the outstanding issues, you have a concern that are always outstanding issues. in sudan and elsewhere in africa, i think we could add a way in the world. and the unfortunately, it's not always possible to solve all of the problems at the same time. then you have outstanding issues. you have unresolved issues in many countries of the world. you have kashmir between india and pakistan. you have between turkey and greek. and in many other countries. >> palestine. >> palestine. we have a palestine. i think what we try to reach is to solve all of those problems, possibly before nine of july. it won't be possible for all of them. and i think. you take, for example, the issue of the border, ev

among the individuals who will participate in the discussion this year, thabo mbeki, a former president of south africa, joined by the former president of burundi and nigeria, members of the african union high-level implementation plan 4 sedan. it should get underway shortly. news from the ivory coast. they are reporting that the french charity action against hunger delivered the first emergency food rations and the last holdout of militiamen loyal to former president and strong and lon gbagbo -- and strong and laurent gbagbo opened fire a round refugees. that is from the associated press. >> it looks like it will be amended or two until the discussion gets underway on the future of sudan. while we wait, we will bring you a conversation with one of our studentcam winners. >> is year's theme asked them to produce a video on a topic that helps them understand the world through washington. hi, ian. >> hi. >> why did you focus your documentary on the elkridge national laboratory? >> first of all, it is right in our backyard, secondly, all of my group members were interested in energy and ef

thabo mbeki for achieving peace in sudan with his colleagues. what do you think is the most important issue? the rest of the issues can be no preceded -- candidacy to -- can be negotiated after the issue of south sudan. [unintelligible] >> the s outstanding issues -- the outstanding issues, you have a concern that there are always the outstanding issues in sudan and elsewhere in africa. it is that way everywhere in the world. unfortunately is not always possible to solve all the problems at the same time. you have outstanding issues. you have unresolved issues in many countries of the world. you have the issue between india and pakistan. you have it with turkey and greece. you have palestine. what we try to reach is to solve all of those problems before nine of july. it will not be possible for all of them. if you take the issue of the border, in other areas of africa, and demarcation of the border -- the demarcation of the border is tied to the independentce. ist we're trying to do now for the issues that cannot be july is showe 9 of 2 liv that