Khartoum calls on Juba to resume talks on implementation of cooperation agreements

February 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese government has renewed call for the implementation of the cooperation agreement signed with South Sudan saying it would ask Juba to hold a meeting for the Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC).

In September 2012, both Sudan and South Sudan signed a series of cooperation agreements, which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, border trade among others.

In March 2013, the two countries signed an implementation matrix for these cooperation agreements.

Sudan’s state minister at the presidency Al-Rasheed Haroun said a meeting of the higher committee for the implementation of the cooperation agreements chaired by the First Vice President Bakri Hassan Salah discussed the progress made in the implementation of the agreements since they were being signed.

According to Haroun, the committee praised recent decisions by the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan to re-open the border between the two countries, stressing that Sudan continued to implement the agreements to enable both peoples to live in peace especially along the joint border.

Last week, the Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir issued a presidential decree ordering to open the border with the South Sudan and directed the concerned authorities to take all the necessary measures for the implementation of this decision on the ground.

Bashir’s decision came as a response to an earlier decision by the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir ordering his army to withdraw from border with Sudan to 5 miles [8km].

Haroun further told the official news agency (SUNA) that the meeting underscored the strategic relations with South Sudan, pointing to Sudan’s keenness to promote those relations and implement all items of the cooperation agreements.

He said the Sudanese relevant committees would press ahead with the parallel committees in South Sudan to implement the outstanding issues including the security arrangements, borders, trade, oil, economic situation, workers conditions and the contested area of Abyei.

Haroun added the meeting directed the Sudanese committees to contact parallel committees in South Sudan to implement the border agreement on the ground, demanding Juba to reciprocate by carrying out similar practical moves.

“[We] would renew call for South Sudan to hold the meeting of the JPSC to determine the demilitarized zone and the [border] crossings and ensure the non-harboring and support [of rebels from the other country]”, he said.

Last December, the third meeting of the JSPC which was scheduled to be held in Khartoum was postponed for internal Southern Sudanese security reasons.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July, 2011, following a referendum held in January of that year.