Sudanese VP chairs meeting on cooperation agreements with S. Sudan
November 26, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The first vice-president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, has chaired on Monday the meeting of the higher committee for following up on the implementation of the joint cooperation agreements between Sudan and South Sudan.
In September of last year, both Sudan and South Sudan signed a series of cooperation agreements, which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, border trade among others.
Last March, the two countries signed an implementation matrix for these cooperation agreements.
The Sudanese acting foreign minister, Salah Wanasi, who co-chairs executive committee of the Sudan South Sudan higher committee briefed the meeting on the progress made in the implementation of the cooperation agreements through the joint panels, concerned ministries, and the parallel bodies in both countries.
The meeting listened to detailed reports from the heads of the subcommittees on various aspects including the military, security, economic, trade, banking, transportation, services, labour, training, and capacity building issues besides the joint diplomatic efforts to cancel foreign debts and lift economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.
The participants approved the reports of the subcommittees and made several recommendations for improving cooperation between the two countries in the political, diplomatic, security, and economic domains.
The meeting praised the political, economic, and social contacts being made between the two countries during the previous period and called to enhance bilateral contacts. It also urged the civil society organizations to exert more efforts in this regard.
Last week, the Sudanese president, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, and South Sudan’s president, Silva Kiir Mayardit, during a meeting in Kuwait on the sidelines of the 3rd Arab- African summit, pledged to speed up the implementation of cooperation agreements signed between the two countries.
JOINT POLITICAL AND SECURITY COMMITTEE
Meanwhile, the Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC) between Sudan and South Sudan would resume its meetings in Khartoum Tuesday under the chairmanship of Sudan’s chief of military intelligence, Siddig Aamer Hassan, and his southern counterpart, Mac Paul.
The JPSC rapporteur, Al-Moiz Farouq, said that the fifth meeting would discuss the outcome of the fourth meeting on several issues including the implementation of the security arrangements, opening of border crossings, and the safe demilitarized border zone in accordance with the directives of the summit meetings of the two presidents in Juba, Addis Ababa, and Kuwait.
He added that the meeting would also discuss measures for boosting trust between the two sides and pointed to the decrease in the number of complaints received by the committee, attributing it to the seriousness of both sides to overcome obstacles and implement the agreements signed between the two countries.
(ST)