National, and South Sudan governments sign accords on joint cooperation
September 19, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The Government of National Unity (GoNU), and the Government of Southern Sudan, (GoSS) signed last Thursday a series of agreements to enhance cooperation and coordination between the two governments in different sectors.
According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and the Interim National Constitution the two national bodies have to define the legal framework in the fields of joint competence, also to agree on the modalities to implement the federal attributions.
The joint committee of legal affairs for southern Sudan held a two day meeting last week in Juba. The meeting was co-chaired by GoSS Vice-President Riek Machar for the semi-autonomous government and Awad Al-Jaz, minister of Finance and National Economy for the federal government.
The tow sides signed agreement Thursday on federal issues like taxes, customs, passports, the General Authority for Standardization and Metrology, National Authority for Communications, the Agricultural Bank and the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA), the National radio and television.
However the two delegations delayed the signing of accords related to the civil aviation, river transport, social Insurance fund, national health insurance and pension fund. Some divergences persist and they have to finalize it in future meetings.
The two parties are expected to discuss it soon in a meeting to be held in Khartoum.
The legal affairs committee is one of the eleven panels set by the Joint Political Executive Committee meetings between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) on the implementation process of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
(ST)