South Sudan: Referendum will meet international standards, says Carter

By Julius N. Uma

January 13, 2010 (JUBA) – Southern Sudan’s self-determination referendum, now in its fifth day, remains on course to meet internationally standards, Jimmy Carter, the former US President told a media round table meeting on Thursday.

“With the current state of affairs, I strongly believe it [the referendum] will meet international standards that govern the free and fair conduct of the process, taking into consideration the freedom with which people have [been] allowed to cast their votes,” said Carter.

The former president’s organization, the Carter Center, is one of the international bodies observing the poll, along with the African and European unions. Sudanese civil society organizations are also monitoring the vote.

Carter said he remains optimistic that with the 60% voter turnout already achieved, the final outcome of the referendum will be respected by all, including the leadership of the Khartoum-based National Congress Party (NCP).

“As you may all be aware, I had a meeting with President Al-Bashir in Khartoum and during our discussions, he told me that he will respect the decision of the people of Southern Sudan in the referendum,” Carter said.

His remarks are likely to water-down fears in the south that the federal government may not recognize the outcome of the referendum, in which the south – who are follow Christian and local African beliefs – is expected to opt to separate from the north, which is ruled by Islamic Shari’a Law.

Cater also downplayed fears resulting from reported north-south border clashes, saying this will not affect the peaceful polling process. He however said an investigation is needed to discover who identities of the perpetrators and collaborators involved in fuelling these conflicts.

The ex-US leader further appealed to the CPA partners to return to the negotiation table after the referendum, and resolve the pending issues, citing the north-south border demarcation and Abyei referendum issues.

“After the referendum, negotiations on the CPA will have to continue among the partners involved in the peace process,” he said, adding that, “Although attention is likely to be focused on Darfur.”

Signed on January 9, 2005 in Naivasha, Kenya, the CPA ended over two decades of a bloody civil war fought between north and south of Africa’s largest country. An estimated 2 million people, according to the UN, are said to have died with nearly 4 million displaced.

(ST)