Clinton urges resumption of Sudan’s North-South talks
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July 10, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – North and South Sudan must quickly resume
talks on post-secession arrangements and address their own internal
challenges, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Saturday.
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (AP PHOTOS)
In an op-ed published by the Washington Post on July 9, as South Sudan
declared full independence and became Africa’s 54th nation, Clinton
commended Sudanese leaders for the successful conclusion of South
Sudan independence, saying it demonstrates their ability to make hard
choices and stand by them whenever peace is possible.
She warned, however, that the prospect for lasting peace between the
two nations could fade unless their leaders take “decisive steps to
consolidate progress.”
“First, they must quickly return to the negotiating table and seek to
complete the unfinished business of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
That means settling outstanding questions related to finances, oil and
citizenship; demarcating remaining border areas; and fully
implementing their agreement on temporary arrangements for the
contested Abyei area” she wrote, adding that “the violence that has
flared in Abyei in recent months cannot be allowed to return and
jeopardize the larger peace.”
North and South Sudan have been engaged in talks with little progress
on a raft of issues related to the bifurcation of the country,
including citizenship, sharing of oil and water resources, external
debts, currency, assets and international treaties and conventions.
Tension between the ex-war foes flared up last month as North Sudan
army wrestled control of the hotly-contested region of Abyei in
retaliation for an attack allegedly carried out by southern troops.
Concerns of a possible return to North-South was were further stoked
by the outbreak in early June of clashes in the northern border state
of South Kordofan between Sudan army and forces aligned with South
Sudan.
The fighting, which escalated into artillery and aerial bombardment,
has so far forced more than 70,000 people to flee their homes.
“One urgent step both sides must take is agreeing to a cessation of
hostilities in the northern border state of Southern Kordofan,”
Clinton wrote, saying that her country is deeply concerned about the
continued aerial bombardments, harassment of U.N. staff and
obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts.
“The longer this fighting goes on, the more difficult it will become
to resolve,” she cautioned.
A framework agreement was signed late last month between north Sudan’s
ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement in North Sudan on new grounds for political and security
arrangements in South Kordofan, including integration of forces and a
cease-fire.
However, the deal was thwarted by NCP hardliners who objected to the
agreement’s recognition of the SPLM as a “legal political party” in
North Sudan, mirroring previous assertions by NCP officials that the
SPLM would not be allowed to operate in the North after independence,
calling it an extension of a foreign party.
Clinton addressed North and South Sudan respectively, saying that both
sides must address internal challenges. South Sudan, Clinton wrote,
needs “to begin building an effective, democratic and inclusive
government that respects human rights and delivers services with
transparency and accountability.”
She said that the normalisation of relations between the US and North
Sudan, along with all the benefits that come with it including
international financing, investment and debt relief, is dependent on
the north’s commitment “to peace within its borders and with its
neighbors.”
Clinton reiterated her country’s concerns over stability in Sudan’s
western region of Darfur, saying that the Sudanese government must
move “to address the economic and political grievances of the Darfuri
people, and to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.”
Three Sudanese individuals including the country’s president Omar
Hassan Al-Bashir are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC)
on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide
allegedly committed during the protracted conflict in Darfur which
erupted in 2003 after ethnic rebels took up arms against the
government, accusing it of neglecting the region.
A counterinsurgency campaign by the Sudanese army and its allied
militia is blamed for the death of thousands and displacement of
millions in Darfur.
(ST)
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