AU mediator sees progress on outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan ArticleComments (2). Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 31, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — The African Union mediator, Thabo Mbeki said on Monday that some progress has been achieved on the outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan, especially over Abyei and border demarcation. Thabo Mbeki (AFP)The former South African President and head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), is shuttling between Juba and Khartoum, seeking to set out a road map to settle the remaining issues in the implementation of 2005 peace agreement. The ownership of Abyei, demarcation of joint border, Sudan’s debt and fees of oil transportation, are among issues Bashir and Salva Kiir agreed recently to settle by the end of October. Technical committees failed to move forward and the parties resorted to Mbeki to establish a timetable and to design the order of priorities. Speaking to the press after his meeting with President Bashir on Monday, Mbeki told the press that his panel has achieved progress on all the issues they discussed with the two presidents. He underlined that both sides agreed on the steps to be taken on the border demarcation. The AU mediator further said they seek to link the security and political mechanisms on the joint border, expressing hopes that the two parties would endorse such method. Mbeki said he briefed the two parties on the procedures and arrangements proposed to resolve financial issues between the two countries as the debt that the South refuses to repay part of it and the fees of the pipeline and Port Sudan for the oil exportation. Mebki met with Presient Salva Kiir in Juba on 28 October to discuss the outstanding issues. He also met with different ministers to get further details on the position of South Sudan in the ongoing talks between the two countries Regarding the issue of Abyei, Mbeki said he discussed with Bashir the measures to be undertaken to implement Abyei protocol particularly the two remaining issues in this file. The head of the African panel stressed that the two parties have to redeploy their troops out of Abyei as they agreed in order to achieve security in the disputed area. Khartoum and Juba agreed to pull their troops out of Abyei, the Sudanese army said during the first week of October it missed the deadline saying the Ethiopian peacekeepers are not yet fully deployed. Sudan Sudan’s top negotiator on pending issues, Pagan Amum reiterated last week an offer to give Khartoum money it needs if it gives up Abyei. But Khartoum rejected the ’provocative statements’ stressing that the disputed region is part of the current Sudan. Pagan’s strategy is based on the settlement of Abyei dispute first before the other remaining issue which should be discussed after. The deadlock over the oil producing area impedes efforts to achieve progress on the other files. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
