NCP, SPLM resume intensive review of Sudan’s national laws
By James Gatdet Dak
March 15, 2009 (JUBA) – The Sudan’s ruling political party, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the ruling political party in the semi-autonomous Southern Sudan, are expected to resume intensive debates on Sunday as the two former enemies and now the major partners in the Government of National Unity continue to review and amend all pending national laws in the country.
A high level Joint Executive Political Committee from the two parties was set up with the task to follow up the implementation of all the outstanding issues in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed to end the 21 years of war in January 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The SPLM high level committee led by the Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, left Juba for the national capital, Khartoum, on Sunday to resume the discussions.
At Juba International Airport before his departure, Dr. Machar told the press that the joint committee he co-chairs with Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice President of the Republic of Sudan, would continue to discuss and finalize on the pending National Security Law that would be finally tabled before the national parliament for enactment.
He earlier explained that the two parties could not yet agree on the structures of the national security organ, power of arrest and duration of detention.
Dr. Machar said the two parties would also work to create a number of new laws that would regulate the exercise of two respective referenda for Southern Sudan and Abyei, both of which are scheduled for the year 2011.
Two other new laws to regulate the expected popular consultations for the regions of Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains would also have to be made.
Machar added that the joint committee would also discuss the current situation in Darfur, particularly on the fate of the expelled more than ten humanitarian organizations from the region.
According to the provisions of the landmark Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the people of the semi-autonomous region of Southern Sudan shall vote in an internationally supervised referendum to either confirm the current unity of the country, or opt to create an independent sovereign nation in its territory.
The people of Abyei shall also vote to either choose to join the South in case the South separates from the North or to remain with the North.
The two regions of Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains shall conduct two respective popular consultations on their future administrations within the greater North.
(ST)