Sudanese president reaffirms commitment to peace deals
Oct 30, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir reiterated on Monday commitment to three agreements the governmenthas signed on peace in south Sudan, the western region of Darfur and east Sudan.
Addressing the inaugural session of the parliament, al-Bashir announced that the government would continue political consultations to implement the peace agreements and push ahead with the process of sustainable development.
The president expressed gratitude for African countries’ efforts at helping the signing of the peace agreements, saying patronage of Africa demonstrated the ability of the continent to resolve all its issues peacefully.
He also commended support of neighboring countries and role of the African Union (AU) in helping maintain peace in Darfur, sayingthat Khartoum will exert efforts to disarm illegal militia in the coming year.
The government will cooperate with the AU as well as the Compensation, Rehabilitation and Development Fund in order to guarantee voluntary repatriation of refugees and internally displaced persons and support humanitarian work, he said.
Parliament Speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Tahir, for his part, announcedthat 20 new members from Darfur and east Sudan would join the parliament as representatives of the parties that have signed peace agreements in Abuja and Asmara this year.
Tahir said it was a historic moment that Sudan would close the page of war and conflict and open a new page of development and a comprehensive plan for the future development of the nation.
Earlier this month, the Sudanese government and eastern rebels the Eastern Front signed a peace agreement in the Eritrean capitalof Asmara.
On May 5, the Khartoum government signed an agreement with a main faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Arkou Minawi in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
Below the text of the Sudanese president speech before the National Assembly (the third parliamentary Session) in Khartoum on 30 October 2006:
Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly; Hon. Speaker of the Council of the States; Honorable MPs;
First, I would like to congratulate the Sudanese people on the occasion of the Fittr Eid, may Almighty Allah bless us all and bring peace to the different parts of our country. I also would like to congratulate the Sudanese people in all parts of the country on the signing the Eastern Sudan peace agreement with which we complete the third episode of the peace agreements series.
I also would like to extend the congratulations for our sisterly neighbouring country Eritrea, especially President Aforghy, his government and his people who sponsored the peace process kindly in a way that strengthened our bilateral relationships. Its an honor for me that the three peace agreements have been sponsored by African countries, an indication of the African people ability to peacefully solve their conflicts and keep their regional peace. Allow me addressing you at the onset of the third parliamentary session to get acquainted with our road map for the year 2007. We have unified our will and determination to turn challenges into achievements and to come out of troubles stronger than ever and victorious. In this respect, let us pray for Allah to bless the soul of the late Sherif Al Hindi, the man of the famous initiatives to bring all the Sudanese people together and unify the internal national front. His history was full of good examples to follow. May his soul rest in peace. Ladies and gentlemen, My speech will tackle four dimensions, enhancing comprehensive peace, strengthening good governance, promoting economy and social justice and developing foreign relations. I will talk about the main points and leave the details of the policies and projects to the Ministers’ statements.
Firstly: Enhancing Comprehensive Peace: This parliamentary session of your august parliament has a special political and constitutional nature. The two previous sessions witnessed the first year of the implementation of Naivasha agreement and the present session witnesses the second year to finalize the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreement. Therefore this session witnesses the first year of Abuja agreement and the first month to implement Asmara agreement. This increases your legislative and monitoring responsibilities either in completing the drafting of bills according to constitution and agreements or in monitoring its implementations. As for Naivasha agreement which becomes a reference for conflicts resolution. Experience showed disagreements are common when it comes to implementation as it is the case in Abyei, so the best way to solve such disagreements is through continuous dialogue. We have agreed on the greater part of these issues as we have agreed on their political mechanisms. Establishing the presidency, the national unity government, the NA, the council of states, drafting of the states constitutions, establishing their parliaments and their government, is a remarkable development which takes place for the first time in the history of Sudan, in addition commissions, committees and mechanisms have been established such as the Constitutional Nation Review commission which has kicked off its deliberations recently according to the provisions of the interim constitution of the Republic of the Sudan. It is worth reporting that this commission is drafting a number of important bills that will be submitted before your august council after it is approved by the cabinet. As pertaining to the wealth sharing and economy management, the joint mechanisms for oil revenues and allocation and monitoring of financial resources, the latter has for the first time been involved in preparing indicators of the public budget for the year 2007. The beginning of 2007 will witness issuance of the new Sudanese currency. With regard to security we are about to finalize preparations to establish joint defense institutions and the redeployment of the Armed Forces to the north and the SPLA to the south. We are about to finalize tackling the issue of armed factions and other issues soon so that all security arrangement are made by end of second year of CPA. We are committed to increasing political consultations to push implementation requirements ahead so that we implement the CPA. As for Darfur peace agreement (DPA), a higher committee has been formed under my chairmanship to supervise implementation of the DPA after the presidential chief Assistant, President of the Interim authority for Darfur has been appointed. We have also decreed a general amnesty for those who took the arms against the central government and we formed the executive committees on power, wealth and security arrangements. A plan on the DDR has been finalised so that weapons remain only in the hands of the government, implementation of the plan will start within two months in collaboration with the AU. Moreover, a number of constitutional decrees were issued establishing the rehabilitation and development fund, the compensations fund, the committee for compensations and the committee for rehabilitation and settlement, in addition to the formation of needs assessment teams in all domains so as to be implemented in the New year’s budget. On the humanitarian field, efforts are exerted to accelerate the voluntary return of refugees and displaced people to their homes and opening routes for the humanitarian assistance and supporting it from the national strategic reserve. Our efforts are continuing to establish the basic infrastructure projects and social services in the fields of water, health, education, roads electricity and social welfare to deal with one of the important causes of disputes relating to development and services. In order to consolidate the social peace, which is considered the strongest support for the political and security efforts, endeavours are going forward to convene tribal reconciliation and creating the suitable environment for the Darfur-Darfur dialogue, to which we are looking forward to be a comprehensive and representing all the people of the region with their different components, with the objective of eradicating the root causes of conflicts and disseminating the spirit of tolerance and strengthening the social fabric. Ladies and gentlemen. It is necessary to express appreciation and consideration for the role of the African Union forces for keeping peace according to Abuja agreement. Despite the limited resources and capacities it has doing well and this role could be developed in order to be more efficient and effective if it was regionally and internationally supported in terms of finance, technical aspects and logistics. Furthermore, I have the honour to record my gratitude and thanks for the stance of your august house in supporting Darfur Peace Agreement and the rejection of handing over the duties of African Peace keeping forces to alternative blue helmets troops to safeguard the sovereignty of the country and rejection of trusteeship. This stance expresses the true patriotic sense which defeated the trembling voices that have supported the international intervention and called for a trusteeship on our dignity and national decision. Based on that strong and deep-rooted national stance we are launching a campaign for opening dialogue with the regional and international parties and the non-signatory factions to reach a formula that consolidate the peace, security and stability. The Abuja peace agreement is a flexible frame and subject to any objective additions according to its provisions to enable the opposing factions to join so as to widen the base of participation and realizing the comprehensive peace which we shall strive to attain. The peace agreement of eastern Sudan is really expresses the availability of peace will and the capacity of the Sudanese people to solve their disputes without external intervention. The two parties to the agreement benefited from our accumulated experiences in realizing settlements. The negotiations were conducted in a direct talk base without preconditions or international mediator. Therefore, with due thanks to Almighty God, we come to an agreement within a record time. Our thanks also due to the delegation of the government of national unity that has shown capacity, experience and patience and to the delegation of the eastern front which has shown a real truthful desire to attain peace and stop the blood shed. The Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement has entered into force immediately by ceasefire and ending the state of emergency and the declaration of amnesty. The implementation process will seriously continue in the future in accordance with protocols of power and wealth sharing and the security arrangements. Among the bodies established is the development and rehabilitation fund which will supported from the government by US 600 million dollars for a period of five years and US 100 million dollars shall be provided in the budget of the coming year. The full agreement shall be submitted to your august house for approval, including the schedules and time frame agreed upon to complete the steps of the implementation.
Secondly: the consolidation of the good governance; Our interim constitution has laid the foundations, principles and basic provisions to establish a good governance. The legislative and executive institutions we formed on national and state levels as a first step to respond to these principles and provisions and it is our duty in the new year to support these institutions to legislate in accordance with the constitution and to implement also as it is controlled by the constitution and the law. We also have to develop the capacity of the legislative, constitutional and political institutions to carry out the monitory and accountability roles in a way that fairly protects the rights of the citizens without discrimination or bias as well as encourage them and raise their awareness to carry out their duties without delay or laziness since things will not go right and the building process will not complete unless there is a perfect balance between rights and duties. We hereby call upon the monitory organs in the centre and the states to up hold fully their duties in the monitoring the good performance and to confront with the necessary firmness and seriousness any violation, surmount or breach from any authority or individual within the powers accredited by the constitutions and the law. From our part, we pledge to faithfully carry out our constitutional duties for building the institutions of decentralized system at state level as well as local governance level and develop their human and material capacity so as to up hold their duties as they were stated in the interim constitution and the constitutions of the states to provide the service and facilitate them to the citizens, and the management of public affairs. I am sure that the august council of states will be a strong and faithful partner for realization of these aspirations. Ladies and Gentlemen: Among the most important bases of good governance is the responsible political performance established on a base of basic freedoms of expression, forming organisations and associations as they were regulated and organised by law in a free democratic society that maintain the formula between the public and private rights, the rights of the individual and the right of the state. Implementation should be subject to the judicial supervision and monitory according to the principle of supremacy of rule of law. In this regard, the bill of association and political parties, the bill of journalism and the bill of public security will be invaluable subject for the deliberations of your august house, in a way that enables it to actively contribute in laying the foundations for a good political performance. The good governance can not go well unless it based on a free political delegation through fair elections conducted and organised by law, a task which will be submitted to you later on to prepare the environment for the conduct of the public elections within its time after two years, but that will be preceded by conducting national census by the end of the coming year. I’m sure that your wise and wide deliberations will not neglect the consolidation of the participation of the viable and active sectors of the society, on the top of which are the women, youth, students and the workers for the building of the coming political experience. I would like also to avail this opportunity to reaffirm and renew the invitation to all the associations and political parties, social, professional and sectorial organsiations to strengthen their building and to establish it on the bases of shoura, democracy, accountability and clear vision, and to improve their performance through abiding by objectivity, truthfulness and to focus on building the capacity of individuals and institutions so as to guarantee the necessary requirement and suitable environment for the success of the new political experience. In this context, it is worth mentioning the necessity of promoting the information in all its different fields, means and developed media to present to the world the real image of the Sudan and its people. This information should provide the true story and the precise figures. We order all officials to cooperate positively, with the mass media, by providing the information and explaining the policies and statement of stances. We would like to say to the people of information that freedom inherits responsibility, and there is no responsibility, in these circumstances, that rules the responsibility of protecting the homeland. Therefore, let us work all together to make the information a model truthfulness and honesty and love of homeland as a personification for the true word and responsible freedom. Our appeal for unification of the internal front, on which we have attained remarkable success and we are still exerting our efforts with all the faithful citizens should not limit its efforts in bringing together all the people to confront the current challenges, but also widen the scope to establish for the unifications of statement and vision on an acceptable and unified approach on the bases of the political performance which we have mentioned, as it is more beneficiary and sustainable for the homeland.
Thridly: In the domain of promotion of economy, justuce and social justice: The good governance is only based on political and social justice, on which it is based and supported and considering it a platform. If the subject of the political justice is the legal instruments and the political institutions previously mentioned the subject of the social justice is the combination of all policies in the fields of economy, social sector and services in a strive to realize the balance to set up sustainable equation of development. It is a development that includes all material and moral aspects to launch the capacities of competences of individuals and groups to participate in building the renaissance and to contribute to the human civilization. The realization of this balanced equation represent the core of the concept of the modern state, which all governments and systems are striving to attain despite the differences of their opinions and political believes. From our part, we believe that the balanced equation of sustainable development is the legitimate and due fruit for all peace projects we are realizing and work for their consolidation. There for we working hard to prepare a five years strategic plan, starting from the year 2007 to year 2011. The objective of this strategy is to make a movement and a transfer of the situation of our country from wars and instability to peace, stability and voluntary unity, and from a dire need and poverty to the stage of sufficiency and surplus to which we mobilize the capacity all citizens and human powers and make use of its material resources and external relations. The project of the national comprehensive strategic plan aims at building a unified Sudanese nation that is safe and civilized and it is an ambitions project which will a lieu for a comprehensive national dialogue through the national council for strategic planning and other fora. Definitely, your august house shall have a remarkable contribution in its deliberations and final approval of its decisions, but I would like to participate with you the main guidelines of the first five years strategy 2007-2011.
– First: recognition of sustainable peace and strengthening the voluntary national unity.
– Second: enhancement of the principles of national dialogue and peaceful political competition instead of war and conflicts.
– Third: Sustaining the rates of economic growth
– Fourth: increasing production and productivity in both agricultural and industrial sectors and multiplying non-oil products.
– Fifth: continuing the establishment of projects of infrastructure, particularly in electricity, roads railway and river transport in order to link the parts of the country to each other,
– Sixth: complement of great irrigation facilities such as the heightening of Rosaries dam, Seteit dam and other water harvest project.
– Seventh: focusing on human development to build capacities and widening employment opportunities and utilizing the manpower in all sectors and the promotion of social insurance.
– Eighth: to multiply the efforts of scientific research and to improve the output of higher education to serve the requirements of the strategic plan.
– Ninth: to affirm equal balance in allocation resources between the states and locations and to guarantee the fair distribution of water, health and education services as well as generalize them in a way that realize the national commitment to the millennium development goals (MDGS)
– Tenth: adoption of specific projects to combat poverty with special focus on rural development and society development projects.
– Eleventh: concentration on project with instant revenue to serve the returnees wither displaced or refugees or people from war affected areas.
– Twelfth: caring for qualitative community sectors and peoples with special needs and revival of consolidation values.
– Thirteenth: caring for standards and quality to realize competitiveness locally, regionally and internationally
– Fourteenth: initiating projects for cultural, intellectual and sports revival according diversity and strengthening values of co-existence and mutual respect
– Fifteenth: encouraging both private and popular sectors and civil society organisations to contribute to the above mentioned.
– Sixteenth: review of state structure and increasing its efficiency in harmony with devolution and distribution of powers and jurisdiction between different levels of governance.
– Seventeenth: developing defense and security institutions capacities to defend peace and homeland and its sovereignty.
You will find details of these directives in the document attached, in the ministries plan and in projects to be submitted before the parliament successively in this session.
Fourth: The external Relations: Our foreign policy will be dedicated to strengthening Sudan’s relations with sisterly and friendly countries, committing to good neighbourhood principle and enhancing consolidation within African, Arab Islamic spheres. Next year will witness intensive activity in bilateral ministerial committees and an active presence in regional and international organisations telling about peace and positive cooperation. We work hard with our friends and allies to establish international relations where mutual respects for nation’s choices prevails. In this respect for I will head Sudan’s delegation to take part in the Chinese-African summit in Bejing this week. We will also consolidate the APC summit to be held in Khartoum before end of the year.
The lesson we have driven from the last couple of months is that logic works and rights will never be lost, so sticking to them will give you support of your people and others respect, I promise you that will be our road map no matter how pressers and dictations are practices on us.
We would like to record our thanks and appreciations for the support of our brothers and sisters in Arab countries as well as in the friendly countries to confront the unfair campaign against our country. May Almighty Allah help and support us. Thanks you for your attention.”
(ST)