South Sudan wants quick resumption of referendum talks
By James Dak
May 9, 2010 (JUBA) — The Southern Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has expressed concern over the limited time left to resolve the outstanding issues in the implementation of the 2005’s North-South peace deal that ended the 21 years of brutal civil war.
In a meeting on Thursday with the visiting Norwegian Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Vraalsen, the Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM and Vice President designate, Dr. Riek Machar, said time was running out and that the two parties should resume the negotiations in implementing several contentious issues before the referendum takes place seven months from now.
He explained that the negotiations were interrupted by the recent elections and have not yet resumed with the understanding that the government could be formed first.
Machar however added that since the formation of government in Khartoum has been delayed until the end of May or beginning of June, he would consult with his President elect, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, in order to look for a way out so that negotiations resume even before the formation of government.
Dr. Machar, who chairs the SPLM High Political Executive Committee charged with implementing the CPA, outlined a wide range of issues to be discussed and which included among others the formation of referendum commissions for Southern Sudan and Abyei, North-South border demarcation on the ground, and several items in the post-referendum arrangements.
On the formation of referendum commission for the South he said the SPLM is well ahead prepared with its four nominees and waiting for the NCP to present its other four nominees, making the membership eight in number. The ninth member who would then be the chairperson of the commission would be someone agreed upon by the two parties, he said.
The formation of the Abyei referendum commission seemed to be problematic, Machar told the Envoy, explaining that his counter-part in the negotiations, Vice President of the Republic, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, had always rejected many personalities his team had suggested to head the commission.
“Ali asked me to look for an angel to head the Abyei commission. I gave him [angel] Michael, he refused. I gave him [angel] Gabriel, he refused…This time I may give him a Lucifer instead,” he jokingly referred to the seriousness of the stalemate in the nomination process of the chairperson.
Machar also said there are areas of disagreement on the North-South demarcation on the ground and potentially involves almost all the Southern Sudan states bordering the North. One of the disagreements, he said, emerged recently in northern part of Upper Nile state where an area of 5 miles (about 8 kilometers) long and 700 meters wide is being contested.
He also said number of other contested areas including Higlig oil fields in Unity state is expected to generate some serious disagreement.
Such disagreements may either end up in the Presidency for resolution or may be referred back to the joint committee of the two parties for negotiations, he explained, hence demanding quick resumption of the talks instead of wasting time.
Dr. Machar also appealed to the Norwegian diplomat to assist the state of Southern Kordofan in order to speedily conduct its population census and parliamentary elections which were postponed earlier over the controversial census results.
He expressed the necessity for both Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains to carry out their respective popular consultations just before the Southern Sudan referendum takes place as this, he added, would avail the needed “leverage” in the process.
The meeting also touched on the peace process in Darfur.
POST-REFERENDUM ISSUES
Machar also stressed the importance of thrashing out the post-referendum issues so that their implementation would kick off immediately on 10th January following the announcement of the final results for referendum on 9th January 2011.
He had earlier suggested that the referendum for the South and Abyei should take place in mid December this year and the final results be declared on the CPA’s celebration day, which is 9th January. He added that from 10th January to 9th July would be the period for implementing the post-referendum arrangements as the CPA would expire.
Dr. Machar presented a long list of post-referendum issues to be discussed and these included the future of oil production, transport and marketing, assets, debts, currency, waters, nationality, Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), international contracts or agreements, the fate of southerners in the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and civil service in the North [vice versa], etc. in case the referendum resulted to separation.
He previously said that if the referendum resulted to unity of the country, then the question of how such a post-referendum united Sudan would look like should also be discussed. This would include re-structuring of the state itself, he said, without revealing the extent of such re-structuring.
Commenting on the future of oil, which he earlier admitted to be problematic during the forthcoming discussions on the post-referendum issues, Machar said “We started from the position that the oil belongs to us (South), then it flows to the North, and this is where give and take will come in,” he revealed as he was referring to the more than 1,000 kms long pipeline carrying the crude oil from Southern Sudan through the vast territory of northern Sudan until it reaches Port Sudan in the extreme north-eastern part of the country.
The landlocked semi-autonomous Southern Sudan has neither built a pipeline to transport the crude oil to east African Ports for marketing nor refineries for its vast oil reserves.
He also told the Envoy that the leadership in the South would always want to see a stable North both politically and economically and maintain good relations with it even if the Southern Sudan would form its own independent country in the year 2011.
The Norwegian diplomat expressed his country’s willingness to continue supporting the peace process in the country and assist in implementation of the outstanding issues.
The diplomat is the fourth Special Envoy to have visited the Southern Sudan’s capital, Juba, this week following the announcement of elections results in the region.
(ST)
Dinka Boy
South Sudan wants quick resumption of referendum talks
Dear South Sudanese,
The Goss negotiation teams need to examine the issues of referendum seriously without deception. The 2011 referendum in which South Sudanese will choose their destiny is no that easy;therefore, our leaders should speed up their effort of their discussion very efficiently without delay. The border demarkation between the North and South must be carefully clarify before the referendum exercise.
The Abyei, the consultation of Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain should be the other focal points of focus when the negotiation ressumes. The oil sharing and the debt must be also examine in the discussion tentatively because the South has never been in the borrowing of the money that were used in the Sudan.
The Northern government get its advantage of using oil revenues without Southerners during the war for decades. The Khartoum exchange the oil revenue for weapons ,and they even loan the lump some of money for weapons to destabalized or exterminate the South Sudanese. Debt sharing is out of negotation because we don,t know match about it use for centuries.
Furthermore, the oil sharing will depend on and be categories base on geographical locations. If the oil is in the South region or North then after seperation,the North or South will choose its marketing or deliverying locations base on the contracts that will benefits them rather than abothersome connotation between the parties.
I recommended that South Sudanese must stay away from jallaba employement because they know how to feed weak heart people to create confusion in the South,and because of very many steps and ideas that i have known during the war, i will just celebrate the seperation of South Sudan when i witness it because we have countless people who like our enemies more than the did to their own brothers and sisiters. The best outcome of referendum is noy yet to be celebrated. Thanks
Gatwech
South Sudan wants quick resumption of referendum talks
Dear readers,
I do blame the GOSS ministry of Energy and Mining and that of Finance and Economic Planning for not prioritizing the construction of our own pipeline to Port Mombasa and our own refinery for domestic consumption of oil.
This should have been planned since 2005. But the incompetent Salvatore Kiir and his corrupt three consecutive tribal ministers of finance did not see the importance of it.
Now the North whether we like it or not will have to continue taking some of our oil revenues shares until we build our own pipeline to Mombassa and our own refinery in Bentiu or Malakal where the oil is. They will charge us for using the pipeline and their refineries.
Instead of quickly constructing the pipeline, Salvatore Kiir and John Luk last time were reported to have planned construction of very expensive and time consuming refinery in Warrap state, which can take up to three years to complete its construction, leaving the rightful location of Unity state.
The corrupt tribal Ministers of finance since 2005 in the names of Akwen Chol, Kuol Atheen, Deng Athorbeei, have no economic planning at all because they should have known that 98% of budget comes from the oil in Unity state and Upper Nile state and if separation of the South comes then the North would either cut off the transport route or charge GOSS very high taxes for the use of pipe line going to Port Sudan and for use of refineries in the North.
Now a temporary arrangement will have to be made with the North to continue taking some of oil revenues even if the South is independence until we complete the building of our own pipeline to Port Mombassa and refineries for our domestic consuption.
There is no way out, otherwise the North will block the pipeline and refuse the usage of its refineries. GOSS can collapse financially because it will take a number of years to get those facilities of its own.
Pathetic that incompetent President and corrupt tribal ministers do not see things ahead of time.
Jerie
South Sudan wants quick resumption of referendum talks
Readers,
So this ’Alliance’ that Yassir Arman is calling for to be formed would include the traditional enemies of South Sudan such as, Umma party of Sadiq al Mahdi, PCP of Hassan al Turabi, the DUP of Al Mirghani, the Sudan Communist Party of al Nugud……. etc. What makes him think that after more than 50 years of being lied to, this ’Alliance’ will crack open the hardened South Sudanese this time around?
The CPA was signed to be implemented to the letter and spirit. It is not up to any bigoted northern politician or military to choose what to implement and what to delete from the peace agreement. The CPA DOES NOT need Yassir Arman’s dubious and really suspicious “alliance”, as a tool for its implementation. If Arman is about to form his version of “Alliance for Unity” similar to what Omer al Bashir has done, it would be better for him to be sincere with himself, and to rest of us South Sudanese, and straight forward join the Al Bashir camp. let Yassir Arman and his other unionists clearly understand that the so-called “alliance” which he is now actively calling for is obviously not in the interest of the people of the South Sudan who have made it very clear beyond reasonable doubt that they are for an independent South Sudan Nation.
North is for unity under Islam and Sharia Law, and South for secession away from Sharia Law and Islam, and no room for the ambiguous and utopian New Sudan Vision. The only person who would have been capable of twisting the Northern regime’s hands into its implementation passed away prematurely, and the New Sudan conundrum should be dead and buried.
Start your countdown timers folks. Let’s do it this time. At least there’s no politics among us in this one. It’s South Sudan united for a purposeful course!!!!
Madhod
South Sudan wants quick resumption of referendum talks
Dr. Machar, this guy called Ali Osman Taha is trying to waste our time and thus delaying the whole referendum process. You could give “prohet Mohamed” and thousands of good angels or (list of good people), and he will never gets satisfy. And like you said, trying to give him a lucifer, and let see if he will be ok with that. And next time he objected to any suggestion, present to him an Infidel, maybe from the north.