Khartoum urges foreign diplomatic missions to back deal with South Sudan

October 1, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government has asked foreign diplomatic missions in the country to support the set of agreements it signed last week with neighboring South Sudan.

Members of the international community including the United States and United Nations praised the agreements which cover security, oil and citizenship arrangements among other issues that were remained unresolved since the secession of South Sudan in July last year.

They also encouraged the two parties to implement the deals and work to resolve outstanding issues including the status of Abyei region and other contested areas.

Sudan ambassador in South Sudan, Mutrif Sidiq, informed foreign diplomats in the capital Khartoum on Monday that the Sudanese government is keen on constructing sustainable peace with South Sudan and implementing the agreements.

Mutrif also reaffirmed that the agreements will be approved by the relevant decision-making authorities in Sudan including the parliament. He further stressed that the commitment of South Sudan to implementing its end of the deal especially on security arrangements will act as a safeguard for implementing the rest of the agreements.

The Sudanese official asked representatives of the foreign diplomatic community in Khartoum to encourage their governments to support the agreement through removal of Sudan’s external debt and urging the US to lift Sudan from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. He also urged persuasion of the US government to end its economic sanctions on Sudan.

A number of ambassadors expressed their government’s support for the agreement. The Arab League’s representative in Khartoum pledged to persuade the international community to lift economic sanctions on Sudan and write-off the country’s debt and remove its name from the US terror list.

(ST)