Showing posts with label AU Panel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AU Panel. Show all posts

Monday, August 30, 2010

Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum, Sudan August 26, 2010 - AU and UN Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010



(L to R) U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration, Ghazi Salah Eldin, presidential adviser in charge of Darfur file, former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel and joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari attend the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)



Former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki (L), head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel speaks next to joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari during the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum August 26, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abd)



U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (R) and Joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari arrive for the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)



Joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari talks to the United Kingdom's Special Envoy to Sudan Michael Ryder (L) and British ambassador to Sudan Nicholas Kay (R) during the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters)



U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (R) talks to the United Kingdom's Special Envoy to Sudan Michael Ryder (L) and British ambassador to Sudan Nicholas Kay (C) during the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)



U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (L) talks to Ghazi Salah Eldin, presidential adviser in charge of Darfur file, at the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

UNAMID JSR Attends Consultative Meeting on Darfur Peace Strategy
Source: United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
Date: Thursday, 26 August 2010
UNAMID PR / 33- 2010
Khartoum, 26 August 2010 – The Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Professor Ibrahim Gambari today attended a Consultative Meeting on Darfur Peace Strategy with Sudanese Presidential Advisor, Dr. Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani; Chairman of the AU High Level Implementation Panel, Thabo Mbeki, and US Special Envoy for Sudan, Scott Gration.

The participants underlined the necessity of having a comprehensive strategy that would encompass all aspects of the Darfur problem, including security, stabilization, development and early recovery.

The meeting agreed that UNAMID and the Government of Sudan (GoS) would cooperate closely to improve the security situation in Darfur and conduct joint action to ensure stabilization and development in the whole region.

The meeting also discussed the GoS Darfur Security Strategy/Plan along with the draft US Security and Stabilization Initiative for Darfur.

JSR Gambari expressed his satisfaction over the strategy saying he would look forward for cooperation between UNAMID and GoS Police and military forces to ensure the security of Darfur.

The JSR also emphasized UNAMID's commitment to support early recovery and development in the region.

"UNAMID will be supporting recovery programs in close consultation and coordination with the UN Country Team," Professor Gambari remarked.

Mr. Mbeki referred to the necessity of involving the Darfurian people in the peace process and its negotiations, expressing his expectation to have a peace deal concluded before the end of this year.

Also present at the meeting was UNAMID's Deputy JSR for Operations and Management, Mohamed Yonis; Force Commander, Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba; and Police Commissioner, James Oppong-Boanuh.

Communication and Public Information Division Media Contacts

Kemal Saïki, Director; saiki@un.org; tel.: +249 (0) 92 244 3529; mobile: +249 (0) 92 241 0020
Chris Cycmanick, Officer-in-Charge, Media Relations; cycmanick@un.org, mobile: +249 (0) 91 253 8436
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AU and UN Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010



The opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum is pictured in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:26 AM ET)



U.N. Under Secretary General for Peace Keeping Operations Alain Le Roy (L), Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union Ramtane Lamamra and former South African president Thabo Mbeki (R) attend the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:18 AM ET)



Chinese special envoy to Darfur Liu Guijin (L) attends the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)



Former South African president Thabo Mbeki (L) arrives to the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:01 AM ET)



U.S. presidential special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (L) talks to the Chinese special envoy to Darfur Liu Guijin before the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 8:59 AM ET)



U.S. presidential special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration arrives to attend the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)



Kamal Hassan (L) from the National Congress Party and Loka Byong from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) attend the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:09 AM ET)



Britain's new minister for Africa Henry Bellingham speaks during his meeting with Sudanese officials in Khartoum July 26, 2010. Britain wants to trade more with Sudan. On his first official visit to Sudan, Bellingham said Britain's new government sought to encourage companies to invest more in Sudan, particularly in its oil and services sectors. (Reuters/Mohamed Nurdldin Abdalla - Mon Jul 26, 2010; 2:28 PM ET)

Friday, July 16, 2010

Sudan: AU statement re ICC genocide decision - Darfur peace talks in Doha suspended indefinitely

THE African Union (AU), once again, urges the United Nations Security Council to assume its responsibilities and act on the call for the deferral of the process initiated by the ICC against President Omar Hassan Al Bashir in the interest of peace, justice.

I say, people have not done enough learning about Sudan if by now they do not agree with the above or understand and share the African Union's conviction (see communiqué below) that the new and untimely decision by the ICC and its action in general on Sudan are counterproductive, and will complicate the ongoing efforts and increase the risk of instability, with far-reaching consequences for Sudan, the region and Africa as a whole.

Sad to note yesterday's news report (see below) from SRS: "Doha talks suspended indefinitely". However, according to SRS and Voice of America News reports on Thursday (see copy below), a leading member of the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) says his rebel group will soon send a delegation to hold consultations with southern Sudan’s President Salva Kiir but it is not clear if the NCP will accept Mr Kiir’s mediation.

Quotes of the Day
"The Chairperson of the [African Union] Commission notes that neither the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry, nor the former AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) upheld the accusation of genocide in Darfur." Source: AU communiqué, 16 July 2010 (see copy below)
“Peace must not be held hostage to a group or movement or one party. Peace efforts must continue." Source: A negotiator for the LJM, Taj eldin Niam, 14 July 2010 (see SRS report below "Doha talks suspended indefinitely")
AUC's concern over genocide decision
  • The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) expresses deep concern about the new decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I on Sudan and its impact on the ongoing peace processes in Sudan.
  • The AU is of the conviction that this new and untimely decision by the ICC and its action in general on Sudan are counterproductive, and will complicate the ongoing efforts and increase the risk of instability, with far-reaching consequences for Sudan, the region and Africa as a whole.
  • The Chairperson of the AU Commission discussed with the President of the ICC bilateral co-operation.
Source: Two communiqués issued by the AU today (16 July) - see copy below.

Communiqué
From the African Union
Addis Ababa - Friday, 16 July 2010:
The Chairperson of the Commission expresses deep concern about the new decision of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I on Sudan and its impact on the ongoing peace processes in Sudan

The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU) has learned of the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which, following an application by the ICC Prosecutor, issued a second warrant of arrest against the Sudanese President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, on charges of genocide.

This decision, which confirms AUJs previous concerns, came at a particular time marked by progress in the democratic transformation of the Sudan, following the April 2010 general elections, and renewed efforts towards the completion of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including the holding of the self-determination referendum in South Sudan and negotiations on post-referendum arrangements, as well as towards the search for a lasting and inclusive political solution to the crisis in Darfur.

The decision also comes at a time when the AU, through the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), is carrying out consultations with the Government of Sudan and other stakeholders on how best to proceed with the implementation of the recommendations put forward by the AU High-Level Panel on Darfur (ALIPD) on justice, reconciliation and healing. These efforts are informed by the AUJs commitment to fighting impunity, in line with its Constitutive Act and other relevant instruments.

The Chairperson of the Commission notes that neither the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry, nor the former AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) and the AU/UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) upheld the accusation of genocide in Darfur.

The AU is of the conviction that this new and untimely decision by the ICC and its action in general on Sudan are counterproductive, and will complicate the ongoing efforts and increase the risk of instability, with far-reaching consequences for Sudan, the region and Africa as a whole.

It is against this background that the AU, once again, urges the United Nations Security Council to assume its responsibilities and act on the call for the deferral of the process initiated by the ICC against President Omar Hassan Al Bashir in the interest of peace, justice.
Communiqué
From the African Union
Addis Ababa - Friday, 16 July 2010:
The Chairperson of the Commission Discussed with the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Bilateral Cooperation

During a recent visit to Addis Ababa, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Sang Hyun Song was received by the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, H.E. Dr. Jean Ping.

The two parties exchanged views on ways and means to strengthen cooperation between their respective institutions on the basis of their common value of ending impunity and bring about lasting peace.

In this context, the Chairperson expressed readiness to explore the possibility of establishing an ICC Liaison Office in Addis Ababa, proposal made by the President of the Court during this meeting.
Source: African Union
P. O. Box 3243 Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA
Telephone (251-11) 551 77 00 Fax (251-11) 551 93 21
E-mail: situationroom@africa-union.org, oau-ews@ethionet.et

Hat tip: Making Sense of Sudan, Friday, 16 July 2010 - What Is the Position of the AU on the ICC?
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News from SRS - Sudan Radio Service

Thursday, 15 July 2010

  • 15 July 2010 - (Doha) – The peace talks between the government of the Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement or LJM in Doha is suspended until further notice.

    The government’s head of delegation, Omer Adam Rahama, spoke to Sudan Radio Service from Al-Doha on Wednesday.

    [Omer Adam Rahama]: “Now the negotiation will stop for a certain period, I can’t say until when but it will stop and the objective is to give a chance to those not attending the talks to attend the negotiations. This is to give a chance to mediators and the international community to communicate with the groups who have not participated - particularly the Justice and Equality Movement and Abdulwahid and others so they can join the peace process.”

    A negotiator for the LJM, Taj eldin Niam, suggested that the peace talks continue.

    [Taj eldin Niam]: “Peace must not be held hostage to a group or movement or one party. Peace efforts must continue. But negotiation could be stopped for a temporary period for more consultations. We are not against that. The LJM suggested to the mediators to communicate with Abdulwahid and Khalil to commit and move to Al-Doha. So we don’t have any objection if mediators suspended the negotiation. We can go to the field and other places to disseminate awareness and communicate with refugees and the displaced. We don’t object, the moment they come, we will continue."

    Speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Cairo, JEM official Mansour Arbab Younis said they will not participate in the Doha talks even if it is delayed.

    [Mansour Arbab Younis]: “The movement will not participate in a chaotic forum, an unjust forum like Doha. The government, mediators and the host country are just making public relations in order to prolong the talks, but the movement is now seriously looking for an alternative forum. We may have arrived at a decision and a new forum could be announced soon.”

    Mansour Arbab Younis was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Cairo on Thursday.

  • 15 July 2010 - (Khartoum) – The first Vice President and the President of the Government of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir will mediate in attempt to convince the two major Darfur anti-government groups to join peace talks with the government.

    The SPLM deputy secretary general -northern sector, Yasir Arman made the statement during a press conference in Khartoum on Wednesday.

    He said that Salva’s move follows an appeal by the AU-UN joint mediator Djibril Bassoli.

    [Yasir Arman]: “ The First Vice President, the President of the Government of Southern Sudan and the Chairman of the SPLM has received an appeal from Djibril Bassole, the chief mediator of the African Union and United Nations for Darfur, and the chairman of the SPLM decided that the SPLM is going to be fully involved in bringing peace to Darfur, and that he is going to contact Doctor Khalil Ibrahim, the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement and Abdulwahid Mohammed Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement and to ask them to send delegations to Juba and that he personally and the SPLM would be involved in trying to strengthen the search for a comprehensive and a just peace in Darfur.”

    The Darfur anti-government group, the Justice and Equality Movement, has welcomed the SPLM’s initiative.

    A senior JEM official, Mansour Arbab Younis, spoke to SRS on Thursday from Cairo.

    [Mansour Arbab Younis]: “Regarding the communication between comrade Salva and the leader of JEM, Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, we think that it is a good move. We will accept the efforts of the SPLM chairman, brother Salva Kiir, and soon the two leaders will meet. We are welcoming this expected meeting.”

    Earlier, the SPLM said that it will distance itself from engaging in Darfur peace talks, accusing the NCP of neglecting the SPLM views and dictating their own vision to solve the conflict.

    JEM suspended talks with the government in May claiming that the government had violated the ceasefire agreement signed between the two parties in February, while Abdulwahid has refused to engage in any peace talks with the government.

    However on Tuesday, Qatar officials and the joint mediation team have decided to suspend the Doha talks between the government and the Liberation Movement for Justice talks.

    The mediators say that in order to reach a comprehensive peace agreement, all parties in Darfur should be involved.


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NEWS FROM GOOGLE

New Charges Against Sudan's President: a Help or a Hindrance ?


Voice of America - Yeheyes Wuhib - 4 hours ago
Photo: AP Sudanese President Omar al-Bashirshir with three counts of genocide in Darfur, a move that will pile further diplomatic pressure on his isolated ...
Expulsion of aid chiefs hurts Sudanese- News24
Sudan: ICC and President Bashir - Again!- Global Arab Network - English News
Al-Ahram Weekly - Sudan Vision
all 111 news articles »

Sudan Rebel Group Welcomes Salva Kiir's Mediation Role


Voice of America - Peter Clottey - Thursday, 15 July 2010:
A leading member of the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) says his rebel group will soon send a powerful delegation to hold consultations with south Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.

JEM’s spokesman Ahmed Aden welcomed Mr. Kiir’s decision to act as mediator for an upcoming peace talks between his group, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s dominant National Congress Party (NCP), and the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) as well as other Darfur-based rebel groups.

“We welcome it, and I think that President Salva Kiir is in a good position to have [a] successful initiative in this because he has good relations with all the others and all the conflicting parties. We hope that the NCP [will] be wise enough and to have a positive reaction and a positive move to also welcome this move,” he said.

It is however not clear if the NCP will accept Mr. Kiir’s mediation.

Early this year, JEM withdrew from talks with President Bashir’s government after accusing the administration of attacking its positions in Darfur’s western region in the midst of negotiations.

JEM’s chief negotiator Ahmed Tugod said his group was “freezing the talks to protest the government’s cease-fire violation including airstrikes and attacks by ground troops”.

The rebel group also announced its refusal to abide by two previous agreements it signed with the government.

The government is currently holding talks with Justice and Liberty Movement, another Darfur-based rebel group in Qatar’s capital, Doha. The talks are aimed at reaching a peace deal by mid-July.

But, JEM’s spokesman Aden said there would not be peace in Darfur without the full participation of his group.

“There is a deadlock now in Doha. Doha failed completely to help the conflicting parties to reach any kind of agreement. The humanitarian situation on the ground is worsening every day. The NCP and the regime in Khartoum want to [impede] some of the aid workers and make a lot of restrictions on the ground, harassing the IDP’s [internally Displaced People]. So, the situation is very bad… as in 2004 and 2005,” Aden said.

Salva Kiir, who doubles as Sudan’s first vice president, decided to take a personal role in resolving the ongoing Darfur conflict after Djibril Bassole, the joint U.N./African Union mediator asked him to help resolve the crisis.

Mr. Kiir is expected to persuade the rebel groups to join another round of peace talks to resolve the Darfur crisis.

Aden said only a political solution could help resolve the Darfur crisis.

“I think that President Salva Kiir has the ability to help the conflicting parties so that we can find exit strategies to the stalemate and to the deadlock which we are having right now in Darfur and in Sudan in general,” Aden said.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

News round-up: North, South Sudan Launch Post-Referendum Negotiations - Mbeki's Statement

HISTORIC NEWS. Today (Saturday, 10 July) Northern and southern Sudanese leaders began talks on a strategy to ensure a smooth transition should a referendum next year result in the war-scarred south gaining its independence.

Talks between Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP) and the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) were focused on planning a peaceful transition for January's referendum.

The SPLM, which controls the semi-autonomous government in south Sudan, is campaigning for secession while Bashir's NCP has pledged to work for unity but promised a fair referendum.

They told reporters at the launch they would consider four options suggested by an African Union panel led by former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

In one option "we considered the possibility of the creation of two independent countries which negotiate a framework of cooperation, which extends to the establishment of shared governance institutions in a confederal arrangement," said Mbeki, who spoke at the launch in Khartoum.

Another option was for two separate countries with shared "soft borders that permit freedom of movement for both people and goods," said Mbeki.

The other two options, he added, were for total separation - - with citizens needing visas to cross the border -- and for continued north-south unity, if southerners chose that option in the referendum.

"These (the four options) will be part of the issues to be discussed by both parties," Sayed el-Khatib, a senior member of north Sudan's National Congress Party, (NCP) told reporters.

The parties said they would spend the next months working out how they would share out oil and other assets, as well as the burden of Sudan's national debt, after the vote.

Discussions are due to continue July 19.

Note that the negotiations between the NCP and the SPLM reviewed several strategic issues, including the security arrangements, the most complicated of all.

Sudan now has three armies -- the Sudanese Armed Forces of the north, the Sudan People Liberation Army of south Sudan and the Joint Integrated Units which are composed of elements from north and south Sudan armies.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), inked between north and south Sudan in 2005, stipulates that the joint integrated units should constitute a nucleus of post referendum army of Sudan and accept the result of the referendum, otherwise they would be dissolved.

Other issues touched upon during the session included the file of oil revenues sharing, in which the two sides should agree on the distribution of the oil revenues, presently and in the future, the Nile water issue, and issues concerning assets of the state and the currency and the banking system.

Note that the contested oil-rich region of Abyei will hold a separate referendum to decide whether it wants to join the north or the south of Sudan. The Abyei referendum is expected to be conducted simultaneously with south Sudan referendum, slated for January 2011.

Sudan produces 500,000 barrels of oil per day and has reserves estimated at six billion barrels, most of it on the border between north and south.

SOURCE: Reports from Reuters, AFP, Xinhua News Agency, reprinted below.

Ali Osman Taha and Thabo Mbeki

Photo: Sudan's Second Vice President Ali Osman Taha (L) and former South African president Thabo Mbeki (Source: AFP report, 10 July 2010: Sudan ruling parties seek post-referendum 'roadmap')

Pagan Amum

Photo: The secretary general of the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), Pagan Amum. (Source: AFP report, 10 July 2010: Sudan ruling parties seek post-referendum 'roadmap')

Nafie Ali Nafie greets Pagan Amum

Photo: Nafie Ali Nafie (R) greets Pagan Amum. (Source: AFP report, 10 July 2010: Sudan ruling parties seek post-referendum 'roadmap')

Rally in Juba, southern Sudan

Photo: Supporters of south Sudan independence rally in Juba. (Source: AFP report, 10 July 2010: Sudan ruling parties seek post-referendum 'roadmap')

Sudan to mull north-south confederation after vote
From Reuters by Andrew Heavens (Editing by Matthew Jones) - Saturday, 10 July 2010; 1:08pm GMT:
(KHARTOUM) - Northern and southern Sudanese leaders on Saturday said they would consider forming a confederation or a common market if southerners chose to declare independence in an upcoming referendum.

Citizens of the country's oil-producing south are six months away from a vote on whether to stay part of Sudan or split away as an independent state -- a plebiscite promised in a 2005 accord that ended decades of north-south civil war.

Leaders from the country's dominant northern and southern parties on Saturday started formal negotiations on how they would divide oil revenues and other issues after the referendum.

They told reporters at the launch they would consider four options suggested by an African Union panel led by former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

In one option "we considered the possibility of the creation of two independent countries which negotiate a framework of cooperation, which extends to the establishment of shared governance institutions in a confederal arrangement," said Mbeki, who spoke at the launch in Khartoum.

Another option was for two separate countries with shared "soft borders that permit freedom of movement for both people and goods," said Mbeki.

The other two options, he added, were for total separation - - with citizens needing visas to cross the border -- and for continued north-south unity, if southerners chose that option in the referendum.

"These (the four options) will be part of the issues to be discussed by both parties," Sayed el-Khatib, a senior member of north Sudan's National Congress Party, (NCP) told reporters.

Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the south's dominant Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), said the referendum would allow the south to "reset" its troubled relationship with the north, whether southerners chose unity or separation.

"If the choice is separation, then we will be ensuring that there will be good cooperation between the two independent states. It could take the form of a confederation. It could take the form of a common market," he said.

The parties said they would spend the next months working out how they would share out oil and other assets, as well as the burden of Sudan's national debt, after the vote.

Also on the agenda was the citizenship of their populations -- campaign group Refugees International last month warned southerners in the north and northerners in the south might be left stateless and vulnerable to attacks after a split.

Many commentators say southerners, embittered by decades of civil war, are likely to vote for separation in the referendum, due in January 2011. Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the head of the NCP, has promised to campaign for unity.

Most of Sudan's proven oil reserves are south of the border. Khartoum currently gets half the revenues from southern oil, under the terms of the 2005 deal. The south would have to reach some sort of accommodation with Khartoum, even after a split, as the only pipelines run through the north to the Red Sea.
Sudan ruling parties seek post-referendum 'roadmap'
From AFP by Guillaume Lavallee – Saturday, 10 July 2010:
(KHARTOUM) - North and south Sudan leaders began talks on Saturday on a strategy to ensure a smooth transition should a referendum next year result in the war-scarred south gaining its independence.

Talks between President Omar el-Beshir's National Congress Party (NCP) and the former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) were focused on planning a peaceful transition for January's referendum.

"Today we are together to launch negotiations of post-referendum arrangements to clearly establish a vision that after the referendum life shall continue," said SPLM negotiator Pagan Amum.

"These negotiations are an opportunity for us to strengthen our relations because in the past they have been bitter," he said at a formal ceremony to launch the talks. Discussions are due to continue July 19.

The SPLM, which controls the semi-autonomous government in south Sudan, is campaigning for secession while Beshir's NCP has pledged to work for unity but promised a fair referendum.

Amum said both sides wanted to ensure a "smooth transition" for the referendum which was part of a 2005 peace deal that ended a two-decade civil war between the Muslim north and Christian and animist south.

Failing to conduct the vote according to the terms of the 2005 treaty would "run the risk of slipping our country back in conflict, a scenario none of us want to see our country returning to," he warned.

The NCP said it wanted to ensure the crucial vote would not be followed by conflict in a country and region prone to war.

"We are hoping that the negotiation will lead to sustainable peace not in Sudan only but over all the region," NCP negotiator Idriss Mohammed Abdel Qadir said at the ceremony.

The NCP and SPLM have set up a joint committee to discuss outstanding issues and plan a trouble-free transition after the vote.

Over the next few months they are expected to negotiate four key issues: sharing oil resources, citizenship, security and respect of international agreements, with the next meeting due July 19.

"We are confident that we can reach a framework agreement on post-referendum arrangement," Amum said.

"If the choice is separation then we will be ensuring that there will be good cooperation between the two independent states, it could take the form of a confederation or a common market," he told reporters.

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who chairs an African Union committee on Sudan, said one of the possibilities under consideration was a "confederal arrangement."

"We considered the possibility of the creation of two independent countries which negotiate a framework of cooperation, which extends to the establishment of shared governance institutions in a confederal arrangement" he said at the ceremony.

"The responsibility to determine what will then happen to the entirety of the Sudanese people, whether as one nation or two, falls upon the leaders of the NCP and SPLM," he said.

Of the four issues facing talks, the question of sharing oil revenues is the most sensitive and has been a major source of tension in the run-up to the referendum.

Sudan produces 500,000 barrels of oil per day and has reserves estimated at six billion barrels, most of it on the border between north and south.

Oil accounts for 98 percent of revenues of the government of the semi-autonomous south and about 60 percent of revenues for the north.

The contested oil-rich region of Abyei will hold a separate referendum to decide whether it wants to join the north or the south of Sudan.

Southern politicians have accused Khartoum of increasing its military presence on its side of the border, which the north denies.

"There is a clear and present need for the negotiators to address what will happen to the oil, whatever the result of the referendum," said Rosie Sharpe of Global Witness.
Roundup: Sudan gov't partners begin negotiations on post referendum arrangements
From Xinhua News Agency (via newsystocks.com) - Saturday, 10 July 2010:
(KHARTOUM) - Sudan government's two major partners, the National Congress Party (NPC) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), on Saturday started a new round of negotiations on post referendum arrangements.

SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum who spoke at the opening session of the negotiations Saturday promised that the SPLM would negotiate with the NCP on the base of keenness and goodwill to ensure reaching an agreement on the issues concerning the post referendum phase after the key referendum early next year on southern independence.

"Today, the SPLM stands here to offer a promise to the people of Sudan, whether they are southerners or northerners, from western Sudan or eastern Sudan, that we shall negotiate in good faith with the national congress party and try to reach an agreement on all the post referendum issues," he said.

He further warned against escalation of differences between the NCP and the SPLM on the Abyei referendum, which is expected to be conducted simultaneously with south Sudan referendum, slated for January 2011.

"Even though the recent unfolding events have shown that the Abyei referendum is at risk, we in the SPLM want to categorically reiterate that the Abyei referendum is intertwined with the referendum for the people of southern Sudan," he said.

"Failure to conduct it concurrently with the referendum for the people of southern Sudan, as stipulated in the CPA, renders risk of slipping our country back to the conflict, a scenario none of us want to see," he added.

Iddris Mohamed Abdel-Ghader, a leading NCP member, on his part, expressed the NCP's desire and continuing endeavor to make unity attractive with the stress on the southerners' right to freely choose between unity and separation.

"Sudan's unity is still our priority and at the same time we stress on the southerners' right to decide their destiny according to the international principles and standards," he said.

Chairman of African Union (AU) Wisemen Panel Thabo Mbeki, who presented himself in the conference, disclosed four suggestions by the AU on the future of the relation between north and south Sudan after the referendum.

"In our option one, we visualize the situation which will divide the country into two independent countries with no durable links," he said.

"In our option two, we visualize the situation in which there would be two independent states existing within a broader negotiated framework of cooperation, making for soft borders that permit movement for both people and goods," he added.

As for the third option, he said, "we consider the possibility of the creation of two independent states who can negotiate to the extent of the establishment of shared government institutions in a confederal arrangement."

"And finally, we visualize the possibility of Sudan remaining one country with the federal arrangements between the north and the south," he said.

The negotiations between the NCP and the SPLM reviewed several strategic issues, including the security arrangements, the most complicated of all.

Sudan now has three armies -- the Sudanese Armed Forces of the north, the Sudan People Liberation Army of south Sudan and the Joint Integrated Units which are composed of elements from north and south Sudan armies.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), inked between north and south Sudan in 2005, stipulates that the joint integrated units should constitute a nucleus of post referendum army of Sudan and accept the result of the referendum, otherwise they would be dissolved.

Other issues touched upon during the session included the file of oil revenues sharing, in which the two sides should agree on the distribution of the oil revenues, presently and in the future, the Nile water issue, and issues concerning assets of the state and the currency and the banking system.
RELATED REPORTS

Sudan faces split into two one-party states
From Reuters (via Zimbabwe Independent)
Friday, 09 July 2010. Excerpt:
AN internationally brokered peace deal that was supposed to transform Sudan into a unified democracy could be about to split Africa’s largest country into two one-party states. [...] “Sudan is now better classified as a two-party state where democracy takes a back seat to the authoritarian regimes that control their respective regions. Opposition parties throughout the entire country now hold less than 5% of the seats in the National Assembly,” academic Marc Gustafson wrote in an analysis of the results on the blog Making Sense of Sudan. If all goes as expected in the referendum, that two-party state would become two one-party states.
South Sudan Referendum Taskforce begins to strategize on its responsibilities
From Sudan Tribune by James Gatdet Dak (JUBA)
Thursday, 08 July 2010. Excerpt:
THE high level politically empowered Southern Sudan Referendum Taskforce (SSRT) under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, met on Wednesday to strategize on its role and work on the budget.

The Referendum Taskforce, which is based in Southern Sudan, is different from the recently formed technical Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) which is headquartered in Khartoum with branches in Juba and states.

The role of the Taskforce is to give political guidance and mobilize the population to register and vote, among others, including maintenance of security in the region to achieve conduct of a free and fair referendum. This is in carrying out the government’s obligation as the custodian authority under which territory or jurisdiction the plebiscite will take place.

South Sudanese rally for independence

AFP - ‎09 July 2010‎
JUBA, Sudan - Hundreds of supporters of south Sudan independence
rallied in Juba on Friday, six months ahead of a crucial referendum
that could lead to the ...

6 months until South Sudan votes to secede

The Associated Press - ‎09 July 2010‎
JUBA, Sudan — Hundreds of people wearing bright orange shirts
gathered in the capital of Southern Sudan on Friday
to mark the six-month countdown until the ...

Abyei killings 'intended to upset Sudan referendum'

AngolaPress - ‎09 July 2010‎
JUBA, - Some 50000 fled their homes in Abyei two years ago
Recent killings in Sudan's Abyei region are intended to
affect next year's referendum on ...

Police kill man carrying 300 bomb detonators



The Standard - Cyrus Ombati - 10 July 2010
Another officer said they suspect the detonators were to either be
used locally or in Southern Sudan where their demand is high. ...
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STATEMENT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AUHIP, THABO MBEKI, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE SUDAN POST-REFERENDUM NEGOTIATIONS: KHARTOUM, JULY 10, 2010.


Click here to visit Alex de Waal's blog, Making Sense of Sudan, and read Thabo Mbeki’s Statement at the Launch of the Post-Referendum Negotiations.
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Quote of the Day

Here is a copy of a comment posted at above mentioned blog post re “Pres. Mbeki’s Statement at the Launch of the Post-Referendum Negotiations”:
Comment by Ibrahim Adam:
July 10th, 2010 at 10:27 am

Right man.

Right time.

Right place.

No bombast.

No axe to grind.

No threats or finger-wagging.

How refreshing.

I love Thabo.

We Sudanese are very, very lucky to have the huge well of wisdom, humility, sincerity, sobriety, and smartness that is the Honorable Thabo Mbeki.

Give thanks.

Ibrahim Adam
El Fasher
North Darfur
Sudan
Amen.