Sudan will accept international arbitration over Abyei: Official
December 17, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — A senior Sudanese official said that his government may accept international arbitration over the disputed oil rich region of Abyei.
Dr Mutrif Siddiq Ali, the undersecretary of the Sudanese foreign ministry told the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published in London that returning to war is not an option over Abyei.
“If all attempts to resolve the Abyei crisis politically or through internal mechanisms fail, then we have no problem resorting to international mediation” he said.
Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has in the past rejected any international mediation on the outstanding issues of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed with Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) including the issue of Abyei.
“The call to resolve the crisis through regional and international mechanisms boils down to a rejection” of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended Africa’s longest running civil war” Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir said last October.
Al-Bashir said that the NCP is committed to the Abyei Protocol only with the border of 1905. He further said the government is not concerned with Abyei Boundaries Commission (ABC) report and that the latter is of no value to them.
Former southern rebels walked out of a national coalition government early October, complaining that Khartoum had failed to implement key parts of the 2005 peace deal including the redeployment of northern soldiers from the south.
Since that time the SPLM and the NCP resolved most outstanding issues with the exception of Abyei paving the way for rejoining the cabinet.
Siddiq hinted that his government will accept a US proposal submitted to break the deadlock over the Abyei region.
The U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, last month proposed a set of “confidence-building measures” to SPLM leader Salva Kiir during his visit to Washington.
One of the proposals was that China, Saudi Arabia and the US would mediate between the NCP and SPLM to formulate a “package deal” to solve the impasse around Abyei and north-south border demarcation.
The Sudanese official hailed the US position on CPA implementation describing it as “constructive”.
The CPA signed in 2005, granted southern Sudan six years of self-rule, after which it will vote in a referendum on whether to remain part of Sudan or secede.
(ST)