SPLM shoulders delay in peace implementation – Sudan’s Bashir
Jan 9, 2007 (JUBA) — Angered by attacks on delay in peace implementation, Sudanese president said that the former rebel SPLM is also responsible from shortcomings and delays in the implementation of a peace deal that they signed in January 2005.
In a televised speech from Juba on the occasion of the second anniversary of Comprehensive Peace Agreement signing, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has said that the Sudan People Liberation Movement was to blame for delays in the implementation of the CPA. Al-Bashir urged the joint commissions on the implementation of the peace deal to continue working together so that they mitigate the retard.
Al-Bashir denied Salva Kiir accusations of supporting the Ugandan rebels or fuelling militia attacks in southern Sudan. He explained why the ruling party is opposed to the Abyei Commission report, the delay in border demarcations and the slow withdrawal from oil rich Upper Nile region.
He also accused the SPLM of hindering the implementation of some clauses.
The following are the main points in his speech as broadcast by the Sudanese TV on 9 January 2007 from Juba:
“The Comprehensive Peace Agreement was Sudan’s greatest ever achievement after its independence and we realized the agreement and we are serious about it and we are its people and there is no way somebody will achieve such a great thing and then work to destroy it, because this is history and the way I said in Naivasha when we signed the initial agreement that the signing of the agreement is a new beginning for Sudan and a new period for Sudan and it is the completion of Sudan’s independence”.
We are saying that the independence was no complete because a portion of the country, which was the whole of southern Sudan, was suffering. Now we have signed the agreement, and there were so many details in the agreement, and we are really determined to implement the agreement, with all its details, but when we came to implement it, we were facing some obstacles.
“The first obstacle that faced us was, we had six months before the end of the interim period, for those who know about the agreement, there were six months before the end of the interim period which stated from 9 January 2005 to 9 July 2005. In this period we were supposed to do so many things, so many preparations, and many process were to be completed, but all these processes were not completed. Why? If we want to account ourselves, and we talk frankly the way Brother Salva Kiir has spoken, we must know the source of the shortcomings and the delays. All the blame does not fall on the National Congress (NC). We waited for six months, waiting for the arrival of our brothers in the Sudan Liberation Movement so that they come to Khartoum and we form the commissions and we do all the 29 processes. And after a follow up, our late Brother John Garang said that his people, who were to be in Khartoum, were scattered – some in Australia, some in Canada, some in USA and Europe, and that he had no money to bring all these people. We wired 60m US dollars so that he brings these people to Khartoum, because we were determined that these people come before the end of the interim period so that we complete our work.”
“But we waited for six months and we paid 60m US dollars and the people did not come. And I will give you one example of what we are suffering from today, which is the security arrangements, a security delegation was supposed to come to Khartoum a week after signing the agreement so that we form laws governing the joint forces, and we establish joint military committee, and we appoint leaders of our joint forces, so that we form our joint forces by March 2005. These people were to come to us and by March the new law was supposed to be out, and a security council established, and leaders appointed and forces to be identified before March. Up to the day Brother Salva Kiir was sworn in, the SPLA forces had not come to Khartoum, and because of that the establishment of the joint forces delayed, and there were many issues like that.”
“Because we said we are partners, the NC and the SPLA were responsible in front of the Sudanese people and in front of God over this agreement because this is the salvation for the Sudanese people, and any problem and retreat from the agreement will be disastrous for all the Sudanese and will also be disastrous for the whole region and peace and security of the whole region.”
“Because of that, we are responsible, I and Brother Salva are fully responsible of implementing this agreement. Because of that we were working, we, as the main parties that signed the agreement and formed the Government of National Unity, we were to form a joint mechanism so that we discuss and solve the obstacles hindering the implementation of the CPA and we formed this mechanisms and we held our first meeting but our brothers in SPLA were unable to continue with us. We want these mechanisms to work so that we discuss things in offices and solve them and not go to the people directly to complain.”
On The Protocol of Abyei, Al-Bashir said that Committee of Experts on Abyei area failed to respect its mandate. He said that the committee adopted the borders of 1965 contradicting the provisions of Abyei Protocol that stipulate demarcation of the borders of 1905. He added that the committee could get a new mandate from the two peace partners before it issued its assessment.
On the issue of militias in Southern Sudan, he reiterated his committeemen to dismantle the pro-Sudanese army militias. He disclosed that the total of the members of armed militias is 40, 000 adding that 30, 000 elements are dissolved. Regarding the remaining 10,000, he directed to move them to the north and for those who refuse to be redeployed in the north they will be dismissed.
Regarding the Ugandan rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), he denied strongly any support to the LRA. He expressed his readiness to arm the Joint forces and the armies — without elaboration – to fight this rebel group. He said this is why he permitted to the Ugandan army to enter to Sudan before the signing of the CPA. Al-Bashir further added “in our point of view there no solution for this [LRA] forces except to defeat it militarily or to expel them to their country to make peace with their brothers there”
Al-Bashir spoke about the delay of the withdrawal of the Sudanese armed forces from the oil-rich areas of Western Upper Nile. He said that the SPLA also violated the CPA because they have a presence in the area while the peace deal stipulates that only the joint forces should stay there.
He pointed out to the government compliance with outcomes of the committee on borders’ demarcation between the north and south Sudan on January 1, 1956.
Al-Bashir also accused the SPLM of hindering the establishment of Customs Service on the border with Ugandan and Kenya.He also said that the SPLM delayed the North South border demarcation.
(ST)