South Sudan opposition says White House meeting cancellation “unfortunate”

October 7, 2015 (WASHINGTON) – South Sudan’s armed opposition faction, SPLM-IO, led by the first vice-president designate, Riek Machar, said it was unfortunate that White House officials in Washington DC cancelled a scheduled meeting with their leader before they could hear his side of the story on the outstanding issues in the implementation of the security arrangements per the peace agreement signed in August with president Salva Kiir’s government.

South Sudanese leaders including vice president, James Wani Igga, opposition leader Machar and Pagan Amum, representing the former detainees, were initially scheduled to hold a joint meeting with senior officials in the White House on Tuesday.

However, Susan Rice, president Barrack Obama’s national security advisor decided to cancel the meeting in protest of the recent unilateral decision by president Kiir to create 28 new states and the refusal by Machar to sign minutes of the security arrangements prepared by IGAD mediation at a workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Due to the concerns by the White House it suddenly decided to cancel the meeting with the three leaders, urging president Kiir to suspend 28 states and Machar to sign the minutes of the security arrangements.

But the opposition said the White House should have heard from Machar on reasons why his commanders could not sign the document.

“It was unfortunate that he [Machar] was not accorded a hearing by the White House before the judgement,” James Gatdet Dak, opposition leader’s spokesman, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

“They should have given him chance to clarify to them matters pertaining to the security arrangements,” he added.

The opposition leader’s media official said the proposal by the government was contrary to the provision of the security arrangements which sought demilitarization of the national capital, Juba, and deployment of joint forces.

“I hope they will lend him their ears and attention so that he clarifies to them sensitive matters in this regard,” Dak added.

On Wednesday Foreign Policy (FP) at the White House quoted spokesman for the National Security Council, Ned Price, as confirming that the US National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, cancelled the meeting in protest of non-implementation of the peace agreement by the South Sudanese leaders.

“After a renewal of fighting over the weekend, Machar’s unwillingness to make compromises in security sector reform negotiations, and the government’s decision to create 28 new states in violation of the spirit of the peace agreement, we decided not to receive the parties at the White House until they demonstrate a stronger commitment to promoting peace in South Sudan,” Price explained.

But Machar said signing the document shouldn’t simply be done for the sake of signing but should be about the contents of the document whether it was in accordance with the provision of the security arrangements or contrarily giving president Kiir another chance to repeat the massacre of December 2013.

While lashing out at Rice and quoting US Special Envoy to South Sudan, Donald Booth, Machar said the US officials should not “chicken out” from supporting the peace deal they initially supported, or to simply tell him to report to Juba to be “slaughtered” by president Kiir in order to be seen as a “good person.”

“I am frustrated. Why would she [Rice] cancel such a meeting? America has been supporting a lot, and in the last minute you can’t chicken out,” Machar told the FP.

The top opposition leader said it seemed the US officials were not concerned about what would come next if the security arrangements were carelessly signed by the parties at the workshop, referring to his conversations with the special envoy who wanted him to go to Juba despite lack of proper arrangements.

“He [Donald Booth] wants me to be slaughtered by Salva, then I would be a good person,” Machar said.

“Go to Juba, sign your death,” he said, mocking the special envoy’s suggestion that he should return to Juba without security guarantees and before Ugandan troops could be withdrawn in implementation of the key provisions in the peace agreement.

“Why would I return to a killing ground?” Machar added.

Troika countries (US, UK and Norway) also issued a joint statement on Tuesday, condemning president Kiir’s unilateral decision to create 28 new states in the country, saying it was a violation of the country’s constitution and the peace deal.

They urged president Kiir to suspend and defer the matter to the permanent constitution making process by the would-be formed transitional government of national unity.

(ST)