North-South borders as “barriers” can harm future cooperation – Machar

June 16, 2010 (JUBA) – The issue of the borders between Northern and Southern Sudan should not be looked at as barriers because it can harm the needed future economic cooperation between the two would-be separate and independent countries, says the Vice President of the semi-independent region.

Dr. Riek Machar Teny made the remarks during a press conference he held with international and national journalists in Juba following his swearing in ceremony as post-elections Vice President. He said there are many economic issues that will continue to demand mutual cooperation between the two regions “even if” the South would vote for secession and become an independent country in the next six months.

He reaffirmed his earlier remarks which suggested that even if an agreement would not be reached on the remaining contentious border points, the referenda for Southern Sudan and Abyei can be conducted as scheduled by 9th January 2011.

He earlier on explained that about 80% of the North-South borders have been agreed by the two parties while the discussions on the other contentious 20% are ongoing.

“Even if there is no agreement on these issues, the completion of demarcation of the borders should not be connected with the referendum. The referendum by itself can be conducted even if the borders are not completed,” he said.

Also the UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant stressed that the “referendum must take place on time and its result must be credible. Either outcome could lead to friendly relations between the North and South”.

The US government through its Special Envoy, Scott Gration, also expressed the need to conduct the referendum as scheduled. The UN Special Envoy to Sudan, Menkarios, in his recent visit to the Southern Sudan capital, Juba, also expressed the same feeling to timely carry out the exercise as provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

The demarcation of North-South border is one of the pending issues that the CPA partners are grappling with. Observers fear a future war between the two signatories of 2005 agreement if they disagree on the boundary delimitation.

President Omer Al-Bashir warned last week the delimitation of some parts of northern-southern Sudan boundary could be explosive, adding that the unity remains the best option for the interests of the two parties.

Thousands from youth, including members of parliament from various political parties including the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), last week carried out a mass campaign for separation of the South from the North, confirming the surveys which suggested that the majority of the people of Southern Sudan will vote for separation.

Minister Ali Karti on Tuesday reaffirmed that the borders between north and south Sudan should be demarcated before the organization of the referendum.

“We cannot hold a referendum before the border is demarcated. The demarcation will help establish where people live and where (natural) resources are located,” he said.

Machar expressed concern that if the two parties got into a situation which says borders must be demarcated before the referendum could be conducted; the issue would drag on for a very long period of time.

“If you lock yourself into a situation where you say borders must be demarcated, experience in the world like Norway and Russia had forty years discussing their borders….US and Canada are still discussing borders up to date. Will we wait until we agree on specifics of the borders?” he asked.

“There is no connection of the conduct of the referendum for Southern Sudan with the borders. So we should not hold the referendum hostage by the borders,” he explained.

He also added that the two parties know where the borders are on paper and that the Abyei boundaries would also be completed in time. “Abyei’s delimitations of the borders have been done on paper and demarcation of it was started, but then stopped. That would also be completed. So on paper we know where the borders are,” he said.

Observers say that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in the North might have intended to use the issue of the North-South borders as a tactical maneuver designed to delay the conduct of the referendum, or else a calculated recipe for a renewed war with the South before it breaks away.

Machar advised that Northern and Southern Sudan would still need each other even if after secession and warned that looking at the borders emotionally rather than rationally can harm such needed future economic cooperation.

“Let us suppose the South votes for independence, you don’t create conflict because of borders if you are conscious that these are issues you can discuss in time. Southern Sudan and Northern Sudan will always remain in those locations; latitudes, longitudes, they won’t move. So this must be accepted,” he said.

He said in the future the people from both regions will find that they need each other economically and begin to see the importance of cooperation on the issues of the borders even if the South becomes independent, despite the current tensions and the mind frame.

“Now others may be hesitant to concede that this point…this geographical area is South and North because there is tension. But after the referendum, if the vote is secession, the two parts of the country will need each other. They will need to trade between themselves. They will need to share resources across the borders. There is a bigger movement of people North-South than any other country…There are over 15 major roads connecting North and South. When you lock yourself into a situation discussing borders as if it is the only issue, you are not putting into consideration the economic cooperation; the movement of people; the sharing of resources; the Nile; the reality that today oil is in the South, but the infrastructure is in the North; like the pipeline, the refineries; the export terminal, etc”.

“If you begin to look at the borders as if you have put a barrier, you harm this common interest. So we should look at the borders as practically, yes, these are borders of this side and the other side, but there are other things that are very important for the two parties.”

“If the vote is unity that is immaterial it would be state by state borders. Still that cooperation between the people across the borders will still be needed. So, I am trying to defuse a situation where we have to think rationally than being emotional about it,” he concluded.

Machar earlier warned that going back to war over the referendum and North-South borders would unfortunately result to a shared loss between the two parties in terms of both material and human resources and should therefore not be in the interest of either party.

The representatives of the five permanent members at the UN Security Council reaffirmed their support for the conduct of the referendum and encouraged the CPA parties to begin discussion on the post referendum issues.

Machar said the CPA ended up with the conduct of the referendum and did not address the issues of post-referendum arrangements in the event of the South creating its own independent country. These issues include, among others, what to do with the oil, its production and transport through the pipeline and export terminal, national debts and assets, currency, Nile waters, nationality, international agreements, etc.

He also said if the referendum results to confirmation of the unity of the country, there would also be need to restructure the Sudanese state on secular basis, including eradication of Sharia law, and reflect on the heterogeneity of the country.

He criticized the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in the North, saying it has been campaigning for a unity without a vision or acceptable program on which such a unity could be based.

(ST)