Sudan says Bashir’s statements reflect government’s official position
June 2, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) political sector held a meeting today chaired by Sudan’s 2nd Vice President al-Haj Adam to discuss situation across all battle fronts and particularly in Abu-Kershola which was taken back from rebels hands this week.
On Friday SRF rebels said that they downed a military helicopter near Abu Kershola where a Sudanese army top commander was on a visit to inspect the recently reclaimed area, but the army denied the rebel claims.
Sources told Sudan Tribune that Sudanese army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ismat Abdel-Rahman narrowly escaped death when he visited the area’s frontlines. The shelling started on his convoy from rebels in mountains nearby prompting Sudanese troops to use tanks and helicopters to secure and evacuate the senior army official safely.
In the process a helicopter was shot down, the sources added.
Following Sudan re-asserting control over Abu-Kershola, president Omer Hassan al-Bashir announced that they will no longer negotiate with SRF and warned Juba that they will shut down the pipelines if they do not cease backing rebels.
But at the time Ghazi Salah al-Deen al-Attabani, a leading NCP figure, downplayed Bashir’s remarks calling it ” an understandable political speech as part of a military campaign”.
South Sudan’s ambassador in Khartoum, Mayan Dut Wol also indicated that they do not take Bashir’s threats seriously describing it as an “emotional” outburst.
“I am not shocked,” Wol told Reuters. “We know the president, we know him,” he said, laughing.
But the NCP meeting today stressed that Bashir’s statements at the Abu-Kershola liberation celebration reflects the official position of the government and the party.
“The call [is made] again to [South Sudan] President Salva Kiir to overcome this [SRF rebel] group that wants to disrupt the peace and [we should instead] work together to complete the peace in the south and north and not support armed movements and comply with the agreements signed” NCP deputy media officer Qubais Ahmed al-Mustafa said following the meeting.
He went on to say that Bashir’s talk about South Sudan’s support to rebels by South Sudan in his capacity as the country’s top man who is privy to the facts and information.
At a separate event today, the director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Mohamed Atta al-Moula Abbas claimed that the SRF forces are re-grouping with the support of Juba to serve Zionism and world imperialism.
Last March, Khartoum and Juba agreed to form a joint committee mandated with addressing concerns and complaints which may constitute a violation to the MOU on Non-Aggression and Cooperation of 14th February 2012, as well as the Mutual Cooperation Agreement of 27th September 2012.
The JPSC meeting which took place in Khartoum last month between military intelligence teams from north and south Sudan has failed to reach an agreement on the thorny issue of harboring and supporting rebel groups in both countries.
The director of South Sudan department at Sudan’s foreign ministry, Badr Al-Din Abdullah said today that the JPSC meetings between Sudan and South Sudan will convene in Juba today.
According to Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Abu-Bakr Al-Sideeg, the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) had flown to Khartoum and Juba to determine the committees’ meetings dates, adding that the Sudanese side has suggested the date for today’s meeting.
He further said that Khartoum didn’t receive any notice from Juba asking for postponing the meeting because several ministers are travelling with president Salva Kiir in his current visit to Japan.
But later in the day a member of Sudan’s delegation at JSPC told pro-government Ashorooq TV that the meeting has been postponed after consultations between the defense ministers of the two countries.
(ST)