UK appoints ambassador to Republic of South Sudan

By Toby Collins

July 10, 2011 (LONDON) – On 9 July the UK government appointed Alastair McPhail as ambassador to the newly independent Republic of South Sudan.

On 9 July the Republic of South Sudan was established, after the vote carried out in January 2011 in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed with North Sudan in 2005.

McPhail has been working as Consul General to South Sudan since March 2011. During the 2004-2005 period he was UK Special Representative for Sudan and during 2002-2004 Head of Sudan Unit in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The British diplomat attended every round of the negotiations on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement from the first session at Machakos to the final session at Naivasha.

He described the upgrading of the mission to an embassy as “a key step in strengthening the relationship between our two nations. I look forward to the years ahead”.

“We are committed to supporting the peaceful and prosperous development of the new country. We already make substantial contributions to the UN mission here, and UKAid, from the Department for International Development, provides a great deal of development support across a range of sectors,” said McPhail on his official blog.

The ambassador said the UK “will support South Sudan’s membership of the Commonwealth and other international organisations.”

However, he was keen to stress that, “the international community will help you but, as an independent country, the primary responsibility will be yours. Accept it – with enthusiasm. You have talented people and untapped resources. Use them. Your friends stand ready to do all we can. Let us.”

Nicholas Kay, who was previously responsible for South Sudan from the Khartoum embassy is now responsible for a significantly smaller country said on his blog that the UK is “ready for a new future in Sudan,” and described McPhail as his “excellent colleague in Juba”.

At the independence day celebrations the UK’s foreign secretary, William Hague, said the UK government stands with the people of South Sudan “as they seek a future of stability and prosperity” and will use its “enhanced diplomatic presence” to work alongside the South Sudanese people and to meet their aspirations.

By UN standards South Sudan will be one of the world’s poorest countries but it has an abundance of natural resources. Taking advantage of these resources and diplomacy to settle the remaining issues with North Sudan will be significant challenges facing the Republic of South Sudan for which the international community are in a position to offer much needed assistance.

(ST)