Sudan’s Salva kiir, UN’s Pronk discuss peace implementation

Feb 1, 2006 (JUBA) — UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sudan Jan Pronk arrived in Juba Tuesday 31 January to discuss with the Government of Southern Sudan (GSS) the issues tackled by the First Vice-President and President of the GSS, Lt. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, in the press conference he held last week.

Salva Kiir, Sudan’s First Vice President and leader of the autonomous government for southern Sudan, shakes hands with the head of the U.N. mission in the country Jan Pronk, shortly after the two met in Juba, on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005. (AP).

Sudanese Vice President Salva Kiir said on Saturday 28 January implementation of a peace deal to end Sudan’s north-south civil war was extremely slow and that monies owed to the south still had not been paid.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in the GSS, John Luc, said talks between the two sides had touched on the implementation of the peace agreement with an emphasis on the conflicting points of views between the ruling National Congress (NC) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

These included sharing of oil revenue, the demarcation of the southern borders and disputes regarding the Abyei region.

Luc said Jan Pronk listened to the southern government’s point of view regarding the three issues and its suggestions for resolving them.

He reiterated the SPLM’s commitment to implement the peace agreement pointing out the need to continue discussions and consultations between the NC and the SPLM, and settle any dispute by adhering to the clauses of the peace agreement.

In Khartoum, The spokesperson for the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, Radhia Achouri, said in a press conference that Pronk was not satisfied with the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), and especially with performance of the key institutions such as Oil Commission.

Radhia said the two parties discussed also the question of the presence of Ugandan rebel LRA, and the insecurity in the region.

(ST)