Sudan’s governors agree to focus on agriculture
By James Gatdet Dak
May 5, 2009 (JUBA) – The governors of Sudanese states agreed on the need to focus efforts on the agriculture to increase the national revenue.
A two-day conference discussing the future of Sudan, and involving governors of all the 25 states of the whole country, concluded on Tuesday in Wau town, capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal state in Southern Sudan.
Top on the agenda included the current economic crisis and need for national reconciliation and integration before the upcoming general elections next year and referendum for the people of Southern Sudan in 2011.
Besides governors from all the states in the country, ministers from both the Government of National Unity (GoNU), led by the Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), led by the Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny participated in the conference.
The Forum was briefly opened by the First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit who, in his opening remarks, stressed the need for national reconciliation in the country.
In a statement to the press shortly after his arrival at Juba International Airport from Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Vice President Dr. Riek Machar explained that the conference discussed the main causes of the current economic crisis in the country including the fall in oil prices and what to be done in order to move out of it.
The meeting, he said, resolved to diversify the economic bases from relying only on oil revenue to seriously engaging in agricultural production.
Machar also explained that the forum discussed the need to resolve the Darfur conflict in order for the long overdue national reconciliation to succeed.
“For national reconciliation to succeed, Darfur [issue] has to be resolved if the country is to go for peaceful elections with clear conscience,” he said.
Machar also said the meeting resolved the importance of achieving the national reconciliation in the whole country before the people of Southern Sudan voted in the referendum.
“If the referendum is coming we should be able to say the Sudanese are reconciled, and when the South votes, it does not vote out of bitterness,” he further explained.
There are 9 months to go for the elections to take place as re-scheduled from July 2009, according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), to February 2010 while the referendum is expected to be conducted in about 19 months in January 2011.
(ST)