Donors promised at least $2.6 billion on Tuesday to help southern Sudan recover after Africa's longest civil war. "Preliminary calculations show that we have been able to cover the shortfall of $2.6 billion set by the parties," Norwegian Development Minister Hilde Frafjord Johnson said at the opening session of the second day of the two-day talks. "I think that's worth an applause already," she said, triggering clapping around the conference hall in an Oslo hotel attended by 60 nations. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick told the conference Washington aimed to give $1-$2 billion but that Sudan needed to bolster the January North-South peace deal. "There is a chance to save this country," he said. Among major pledges on Monday, the European Commission promised about $765 million, Britain $545 million, Norway $250 million and the Netherlands $220 million, organizers said.
