Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
November 2, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Talks between the 2005 peace partners over the referendum bill remain at deadlock as the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement rejects the 66% of voters turnout while the National Congress Party refuses to make any concession over it.
“Given the present political environment between the SPLM and the NCP, the atmosphere of the meeting was rather not as friendly.” Said the office of Dr. Riek in a statement released today. The tension over the referendum deadlock, the boycotting of the parliament, and score of other issues mounted.
At the meeting, the two CPA signatories revisited the contentious part of the referendum discussion, the 2/3 quorum or simply majority that was rejected by the SPLM. Instead the Juba ruling party offered to extend the voting period to two weeks and called the NCP to meet somewhere between 50% and 66% for turnout quorum.
However the NCP refused adamantly to move an inch below the 66%. Nevertheless, Mr. Taha showed keenness to extend the voting period to seven days.
The two partners will meet again today in attempt to find a breakthrough.
As talks are stalled between the two peace partners, the US envoy to Sudan arrived yesterday to Khartoum where he held talks with Sudanese Presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen on the CPA implementation and Darfur issue as well as the bilateral relations.
Mr. Scott Gration said today concerned about the tension between the SPLM and the NCP.
In a meeting held at the SPLM Deputy Chairman office in Khartoum, Gration said if an agreement is not reached soon, the election would be at risk and the referendum will be hurt seriously.
However, In an effort to bring two sides together, Gen. Gration asked both sides to abandon their positions and meet somewhere between 62% and 66% for the turnout quorum.
Yesterday the NCP reacted angrily to the Saturday’s statement in Juba by the SPLM’s Chairperson, First Vice President of Sudan and President of the semi-autonomous Southern Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, which stated that voting for unity of Sudan by Southern Sudanese would be like voting for second class citizenship in the country.
GOSS officials including Machar dismissed the call for a separate state in the southern Sudan independence, saying Kiir intended to tell southerners that he respect their choice for unity or separation.
However Ghazi said today he reaffirmed to the US envoy that negative statements by SPLM officials are not in the interest of peace, adding that they are to blame for such statements.
(ST)
Dengtaath
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Any way we keep our fingurs cross to break that deadlock though is not going to be an easy task to remove the NCP from 66% to 62%.
Michael Madit Magot
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Be confident and continue negotiating our vice president Dr Riek Machar.
We believe that you would succeed in bringing a breakthrough in the 2/3 or 66% quorom.
Do not give up and you will be rewarded abundantly in the near future.
Who knows what you are negotiating will one day make you our president of the independent southsudan.
God Bless you!
johnmaker
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Mr.Gration,
What the fuck are you talking about.There is nothing so called meet between 62 to 66 percent of the voters. The SPLM/A position is 50 plus 1 or less than that,whatever turn out.
Dear Southern,
I think we need to open our eyes very careful toward this evil man called Gration.His mission to sudan not to come to amended what was written.He was apointed by US admistration to urge the sudan govt to implemet whatever was agreed upon in 2005.
I think kiir should request Obama admistration to replaced this man.He is money hungry political stunt.
Dinka Boy
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
66% or even 62% is nothing to SPLM. If NCP reject 51% simple majority, then that will be the clear independent of the South.
Thyinka
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Gration seems to be playing to Khartoum’s drumbeat. What I have seen here is that he is willing to go along with what Khartoum suggest instead of making an objective stand on what is right. He basically wants to make his work easy by appeasing Khartoum instead of doing what is right. What criteria requires that the number of voters required to turn out must be 66% instead of 50% in order for the results of the referendum to be valid? I don’t know how this man became a general in the United States Air force without the courage to make independent decisions. Or is he an old general following orders from his masters in Khartoum? Scott Gration should not try to embolden Khartoum by propping up their positions.
Gatwech
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Dear readers,
Either 66% or 62% turnout (quorum) or something in between will still need effective mechanisms to successfully mobilize voters. I salute Dr. Riek Machar for again taking up the renegotiations though I would have prefered another coward or reckless leader to try this tough debate. If the NCP would increase the voting days from the agreed three days to seven that would also be welcome.
But the most important things are the mechanisms. We need logistics. We need security. We need a good number of voting centers, at least one in every village in the South. We need emotional mobilization of voters. I believe we can even mobilize 95% instead of 66% or 62% of voters turnout. Since the two parties have already agreed on 50+1 percent to declare the South independent, we can achieve independence.
I hope Ali Osman will positively respond to Dr. Riek Machar to concede some more while Kiir should discipline his junior officials who concentrate on trivial issues to sabottage Dr. Machar’s achievements. It is because of Dr. Machar’s skills to manage serious sabbotages otherwise, a full blown crisis would have ensued. He goes around sabottages and turn them into positive challenges. It is how we conduct ourselves internally that will successfully make us achieve independence.
Critic_Ngueny
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Dear Readers and writers,
Don’t you know that what is going on in Khartoum between Riak and Ali is a zero work.They are just playing a trick on people.
The truths of the matter remain that Southerners must be independent whether Arabs like it or not.
Enough is enough,let them take whatsoever belong to them to the North otherwise.Constant dripping of water swear the stone.
Critic_Ngueny from Bor town
Lukudu
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
When the two sides were fighting each other there was nothing called unity. After a peace agreement was signed, then comes the issues of unity and separation. The question is, what unity are we still talking about? Is it the one that we obtained through shading our blood or a different one that the NCP brought about on its brotherly will? If the Arabs were people who need unity, they would not have prolonged the war for two decades but they would have asked for unity soon after the civil war broke out. It was SPLM/A struggle that brought the CPA and it was the near defeat of the NCP by SPLM/A that forced the NCP to seek peace.
The two decades of shading blood will end in a happy separation of Sudan into two separate nations. There has been no unity between South and North ever since Sudan got its independence from the colonizing powers. When the NCP officials hear about separation, they grew annoyed and accuse SPLM officials of encouraging Southern Sudanese to vote for separation which to them they believe is going to be a complete breakdown of relationships because they know the wrong things they did to Southern Sudanese. When we as Sudanese were fighting for freedom from the colonizers, we were defending ourselves as citizens of one nation, soon after we attained independence, the Arabs turned against us the Southern Sudanese and forgot the unity we had during colonization era. Our relations with the Arabs in Northern Sudan started with greater unity but this time our relations will end up with complete separation.
Our president has a right to say whatever he can say and will continue to say and advise his own people to do what is good for themselves in 2011.
You are not alone General Kiir and nver get intimidated by your enemies. SPLM/A survived two decades of war and will survive centuries of any blames from the NCP government of Bashir.
[email protected]
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Dear southerners, be most encouraged. Remember, all human beings are born equal and free, regardless of race, religion, color and so forth. As truth is always bitter, to be given off simply, you need to struggle for it with all your efforts. I also wanted to tell my brothers and sisters here in the north that southerners are human being like us, and as such we must respect their rights. Its not when we confide them, by imposing all these big percentages of turning out that will attract them to unite sudan. But it could have been betterto study and fulfill what is stipulated in the CPA as elements of making unity of sudan attractive. Otherwise, what we are all doing against them in the due course will definetely cause Israel-Plastine neighborhood if southerners may soon succeed independence. Don’t also forget that it has not taken long, since our ancestors came and settled in Sudan. We must still use that technique to go to South Sudan if we feel like migrating to. AHMED SALLADIN can be reached here at [email protected]
junuby
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
Mr.Scoot
that is nonesense, how could you suggest this two paties to meet somewhere between 66% and 62%, and you that SPLM is asking NCP to meet somewhere between 50% and 60%. it seem to me that you want do a favor to NCP as you showed and even admited in press yesterday that, ghazi Salah is your good fiernd and how all northern journalists were praising you inspite of Obama’s administration new policy towards Sudan.
Mr Scoot forget about your friendship and do your work as US envoy to sudan. and don’t for Mr.scoot oil is in southern sudan not in north plus ,southerners or SPLM is helping any terrorist organization like NCP.
stephen
Talks on South Sudan referendum remain at deadlock
I think Greation mighty be crzy or might been give bribe by the NCP, since international it is well known that 50+1 is the standard, why just he wanted to impose unity since we are still in unity with this Jallabas.
It is better for you mr Greation to keep quite,leave us with this fucking Arabs.