SPLM & NCP hold preliminary meeting on post-referendum issues
July 3, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) held preliminary meetings on post-referendum issues in Khartoum today to prepare for full blown negotiations starting Monday.
The NCP was represented by state minister from the presidency Idriss Abdel-Gadir and state ministers in the cabinet including Said Al-Khateeb and Muhammad Mukhtar. The SPLM delegation was comprised of SPLM Secretary General and South Sudan Government peace minister Pagan Amum, SPLM deputy SG for Northern sector Yasir Arman and Luka Byong who is the minister for cabinet affairs.
The meeting held today focused on procedural issues particularly the ground rules for negotiations,
Sudan official news agency (SUNA) said both sides agreed on having talks conducted without “foreign interferences”. The talks however are to be sponsored by the African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The SPLM & NCP last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a roadmap for issues of post-referendum arrangements.
The officials who met at the Ethiopian town of Mekele said the accord included clauses on modalities and structures for future discussions on the post-referendum issues.
A referendum for self determination will take place early next year as a key provision of a 2005 peace deal which ended a decades-long war between north and south Sudan, a conflict which left two million people dead.
Many post-referendum items have yet to be addressed particularly nationality, national debt, water agreement with the border demarcation process well behind schedule.
Separately, the NCP denied media reports that it is discussing the possibility of having a North-South confederation instead of secession.
(ST)
Amantiel Kem
SPLM & NCP hold preliminary meeting on post-referendum issues
It is good to discuss on post-referendum issues but one thing i don’t understand is, why do both parties agreed not to allow foreign witness?
Is it the NCP wisdom of fooling people as Abujalabi talked about last time? In any solution to the prolem between the two,there must be a third person who is neutral to witness the process of solving problem.i don’t know why is this contuary to this point?
What i know so far is that, all the agreements being done without foreign witness will soon be dishonoured by NCP should Referendum go against their will as i’m sure it will.So SPLM needs to be cautious in all what they do with NCP.
Secondly, the main and the most important point SPLM should also look at is the point of conducting referendum in January. This has a lot of prolem if one can take time and review it. This prompt me to agree with the Vice President of the Government of South Sudan Riek Machar that 9/01/2011 will be the day of announcement of the results of the referendum.Anything beyond that date guys will put our Government of South in trouble. This is because the Government of Sudan will automatically cut servicing GoSS claiming the expiry of CPA.
SPLM needs to be prepared financially and militarily to be rendering service of their Government independently and protect its state. Such preparation are important at this main time of discussing post-referendum issues.The earlier the better.
Thanks.
Pwad Achob
SPLM & NCP hold preliminary meeting on post-referendum issues
Dear readers,
Are all southern sudanese considered to be SPLM members or are there other parties? If the answer is no, then why are other southern parties not included or represented in the matters that concern southern affairs? We do not want to look like NCP that dominate everything in the north. On the other hand, we do not forget that they(notherners) secretly meet as northern sudanese block privately when they confront southern problem issues.
Are we really serious to involve every southern sudanese in determining the result of the referundum? Is it only members of SPLM who are going to vote for referundum if other opinions are not invited? Can SPLM only represent southern sudanese?
This is a joke. You can not manage and run popular affairs with a spirit of domination and expect success. Lets learn to accomodate others when the matter concern all.
MJriaksdca
SPLM & NCP hold preliminary meeting on post-referendum issues
When you claim a tree, you do not start from the top. Why post referendum issues yet issues before referendum are not completely solved? This is naive. Clearly NCP is proving smarter.