World leaders react over Sudan, S. Sudan oil conflict
June 10, 2013 (JUBA) – Several world leaders on Monday reacted to a decision by the Sudanese president, Omar al Bashir to block the pipelines that transport oil from landlocked South Sudan’s oil for exports through its territory.
The Sudanese leader, on Saturday, ordered oil minister Awad al-Jaz to block the pipeline carrying South Sudan’s crude all the way to Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan, accusing Juba of its alleged support to the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels fighting his regime on multiple fronts.
The impromptu decision, Bashir said, was taken after thorough study to examine its advantages and drawbacks.
However, the U.S. State Department on Monday deplored Sudan’s decision to shut down the pipeline and urged Khartoum to reconsider the move.
“We deplore this action and urge Sudan to reverse this decision,” State Department’s Jen Psaki said at a briefing in Washington DC.
If carried out at short notice, such an act, she stressed, would violate an international agreement, which stipulated that any shutdown can occur only after a 60-day notice for economic or technical reasons.
South Sudan, however, said it had not received any official notice from its northern neighbour on its plans to shut down the oil pipeline, less than three months after it became operational.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary-General also calls on both parties to respect their good neighbourliness agreement of 27 September 2012.
Meanwhile, Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also expressed concerns over announcements that Sudan intends to shut down oil exports from South Sudan and freeze all nine agreements it signed with South Sudan.
“An oil shutdown would have serious consequences for the viability of the two states, relations between them and the wider region,” said Ashton, who also doubles as the vice president of the EU commission.
She however urged both sides to prioritise the interests of their citizens and promote mutually beneficial relations between their two states.
“The Addis [Ababa] Agreements should be implemented unconditionally and without threatening to abrogate all the agreements if problems arise in one area,” Ashton stressed in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune.
The EU commission vice president, among others, called on both Sudan and South Sudan to take “immediate” action to prevent any support to armed rebel movements in the other country and fully demilitarise the Safe Demilitarised Border Zones in accordance with the commitments they have already given.
Any complaints or grievances about security concerns should be addressed through agreed bilateral security mechanisms, she said, adding that both parties should cooperate with the African Union High Level Implementation Panel to find a way forward.
Ashton further lauded the international community for playing its part by expanding UN peace keeping forces in Abyei (UNISFA) to provide additional force protection for border monitoring, including verifying any allegations of cross border support to rebels.
“Taking appropriate action would have disastrous consequences for the people of both countries. This outcome must be avoided at all costs” she urged.
China, which is yet to react on the matter is reportedly engaged in diplomatic efforts with both capitals to settle the crisis and ensure the continuation of oil flow.
(ST).