U.S. special envoy departs for meetings on Sudan, Posted by Meosha Eaton

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Newly appointed U.S. special envoy Princeton Lyman will depart on Saturday for meetings in Ethiopia and Sudan on the transition of South Sudan to independence in July, the State Department said.

Lyman was scheduled to participate in discussions in Ethiopia on security in Sudan before meeting senior Sudanese officials in Khartoum on North-South issues and on Darfur.

Following that, Lyman was to return to Ethiopia for discussions on economic arrangements between North and South Sudan.

President Barack Obama appointed Lyman, a veteran U.S. Africa hand and former ambassador to South Africa and Nigeria, as special envoy for Sudan on Thursday.

Lyman said he would work on outstanding issues such as border demarcation, citizenship and division of oil revenue on his trip, as well as agreement on the disputed border region of Abyei.

The State Department also said Robert Loftis, the acting U.S. coordinator for reconstruction and stabilization in Sudan, was to depart on Monday to meet U.S. officials in Juba and governors in southern Sudan on security and stabilization priorities. (Reporting by Charles Abbott, editing by Anthony Boadle)

No reports of Libyan civilian casualties- US admiral, Posted by Meosha Eaton

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - A top U.S. military officer involved in enforcing the U.N.-backed no-fly zone over Libya said on Wednesday he had no reports of civilian casualties caused by coalition forces.

"There have been no reports of civilian casualties. Our mission here is to protect the civilian populace and we choose our targets and plan our actions with that as a top priority," Rear Admiral Gerard Hueber told reporters by phone from the command ship USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean.
(Editing by Sandra Maler)