“I will not order the withdrawal of SPLA forces out of Heglig”, President Kiir JUBA, 13 April 2012 - The President of the Republic yesterday vowed not to withdraw the Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SPLA) out of the contested oil-rich area of Heglig saying it belongs to the Republic of South Sudan.
“I will not order the withdrawal of the forces this time. I say this not because we are interested in war but because we want this to be resolved once and for all”, he asserted. President Kiir accused the leadership in Khartoum of refusing to demarcate the borders and using forceful means of claiming mineral-rich areas of South Sudan. “Bashir has refused to support the demarcation exercise because the disputed areas have minerals; they are saying we either give up these areas to them or we go to war”, he explained. President Kiir told parliament that SPLA forces went to Panthou (Heglig) while pursuing the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) which had attacked the SPLA positions south of Panthou on 1st April 2012. He said the motive of the attacks by SAF on the South Sudan territory was to drive the SPLA forces away from the oil wells so as to connect “tie–in” pipeline to siphon South Sudan’s crude oil to their refineries. “A tie–in pipeline was the reason why our forces came under attack on Palm Sunday. Our forces while repulsing the SAF and other militia groups found equipment for building oil pipeline left behind”, the President said. He explained that two excavators and pipes were found in the area abandoned by the SAF forces. He said it is obvious that after Khartoum demanding 120,000 barrels of crude oil from South Sudan to feed their refineries, and Heglig not giving enough, decided illegally take South Sudan’s oil from Unity State. President Kiir said the action of President Bashir to withdraw Sudan’s negotiation teams from the negotiations in Addis and the continued aerial bombardment on South Sudan territory sends a signal that Sudan is preparing for war with the Republic of South Sudan. He observed that Khartoum has been violating the South Sudan airspace by carrying out aerial bombardments on South Sudan. The latest, he said, was yesterday morning at Bentiu in Unity State where one SPLA soldier was killed. He said South Sudan is re-echoing its voice to the international community to stand up and condemn these acts of aggression by Khartoum. President Kiir observed that oil is at the centre of the current crisis between the two countries. He explained that South Sudan did not halt the production of oil for no sound reasons. He stated that if there is any guarantee that Sudan will not take any oil belonging to South Sudan apart from what is due to them, then South Sudan would unlock the taps “the following day”. He added that without such a promise South Sudan would rather do without the oil. He said the government believes that the problems facing the two countries can be resolved in a peaceful manner. He said the purpose of the April 3rd 2012 Juba Summit was to address the problems of the two countries. He regretted the failure of the President of Bashir to attend the event. He called on the people of Sudan not to be misled to engage in a senseless war. “The people of the Republic of Sudan should understand that we are not interested in war but rather interested in living in harmony with all our neighbours including Sudan”, said President Kiir. He asserted, however, that the Republic of South Sudan will not fail to defend its people and resource. Reported by Matata Safi CNPC expresses hope oil production will resume in RSS BEIJING, 13 April 2012 - The Chinese Deputy Director General for West Asia and North Africa Department Amb. Chang Hua said the principle policy of Chinese government is non-interference into domestic affairs of any country, and China cannot interfere in the oil crisis between South Sudan and Sudan. He added that if the two countries requested China to contribute in finding the means of resolving the issue, China is ready. Mr. Hua revealed that oil will be one of the agendas for the expected visit of the President of the Republic H.E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit to China. During the visit H.E Kiir will also inaugurate the Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in China. In another development, China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) expressed hope to continue the work on the oil fields in South Sudan if the country allowed the company to resume its work. This was said by the China National Petroleum Company Deputy Director General Ms. Yie Piang during a meeting she held in CNPC Headquarters in China on Tuesday April 10th, 2012, with the media delegation visiting the People’s Republic of China. Ms. Yie Piang said the shutdown of oil production in South Sudan has caused serious losses to the company and the other three oil companies of Malaysia and India. She urged Juba and Khartoum to resolve the oil issues through peaceful dialogue. The media team meets with DDG for West Asia and North Africa. The team yesterday visited the headquarters of CCTV and exchanged views on how to promote relationships between SSTV and CCTV and arrived in Shanghai city on 11th April, 2012. Shanghai is China's biggest city of economy, trade, industry and shipping. In Shanghai city, the RSS media team is expected to visit Hua Wei Technologies Co. Ltd, SINOPEC Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited and will also visit Oriental Pearl TV. Reported by Thomas Kenneth Youth hold demo in support of SPLA JUBA, 13 April 2012 - South Sudanese youth in collaboration with civil society organizations took to the streets of the capital city of Juba yesterday evening for peaceful demonstration supporting the gallant SPLA forces for their victories in the border areas of South Sudan. Addressing the peaceful demonstration, the minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin said South Sudan has no intention of going back to war with Sudan but it reserves the right of self defense. Dr Marial further urged the youth of South Sudan to unite in order to face the challenges adding that Heglig area is part of Unity State but was transferred to Western Kordufan according to the resolution of council of ministers in Khartoum since the year 2004. He said the border demarcation of 1/1/1956 confirms that the area belongs to south Sudan. Meanwhile the group of South Sudanese youth expressed their readiness to protect and defend the territory and resources of the Republic of South Sudan. Reported by Francis Oliver Kenyi and Taghrid George, News Agency of South Sudan (NASS) -- 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.
