German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urged the Khartoum government on Saturday to respect the outcome of the independence referendum being held in South Sudan, reported DPA.
He said the international community would seek to stabilize the whole Sudanese region afterwards. His remarks were published on the website of a German newspaper, the Hamburger Abendblatt.
"We appeal to all involved in Sudan to accept the result of the referendum," he told an interviewer.
Polling was set to end Saturday in the referendum, but officials say a result may not be declared until next month.