China steps in to seek solution to Sudan’s oil shutdown crisis
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June 16, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Chinese special envoy to Africa Zhong
Jianhua held talks in Khartoum today with the oil minister Awad al-Jaz
in the wake of Sudan’s decision last week to block flow of oil from
landlocked South Sudan.
JPEG - 31 kb
FILE - Zhong Jianhua, China’s special Envoy to Africa, poses for a
photograph during an interview with Reuters at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in Beijing, July 16, 2012. (REUTERS/Michael Matina)
The minister informed ambassador Jianhua that the transportation of
oil from South Sudan will continue through Sudan’s pipelines as a
goodwill gesture from Khartoum.
But al-Jazz stressed that Juba must implement the nine cooperation
agreements as one package and dismissed the need for new negotiations.
The minister cautioned that the stoppage will remain in place if Juba
does not abide to the agreements signed adding that its actions so far
shows its lack of seriousness.
He also called on Beijing to play a positive and powerful role within
the 60-day deadline set by Khartoum regarding the closure of the oil
pipelines.
The Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir publicly ordered al-Jaz
last week to immediately shut down the pipelines carrying Juba’s oil
for exporting.
"O’ Awad [oil minister] tomorrow direct oil companies to close the
pipeline and after that let them [South Sudan] take it via Kenya or
Djibouti or wherever they want to take it", the Sudanese president
said at a rally in north Khartoum.
"The oil of South Sudan will not pass through Sudan ever again," Bashir added.
But Sudanese officials later talked down the order saying it will take
effect after 60 days and not immediately. They also pointed out that
the directive could be reversed should Juba heed to Sudan’s demand of
giving up support to anti-Khartoum rebel groups.
The Chinese envoy expressed his country’s desire to develop relations
between Khartoum and Juba and said that there are efforts underway to
come up with firm solutions to help sustain the agreements signed.
He noted that South Sudan suffered during the year and a half when
Juba suspended oil production after a dispute with Khartoum over fees
associated with using Sudan’s pipelines.
Jianhua said he hopes that a satisfactory solution is reached for both
sides to achieve their common interests.
The Chinese official is expected to visit both Juba and Addis Ababa as
part of Beijing’s efforts to end the fresh crisis. He met later in the
day with Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti.
In September of last year, both Sudan and South Sudan signed a series
of cooperation agreements, which covered oil, citizenship rights,
security issues, banking, border trade among others.
Last March, the two countries signed an implementation matrix for
these cooperation agreements.
The most notable provision in the agreement is related to resumption
of oil exports by landlocked South Sudan which were suspended more
than a year ago because of a dispute over transit fees. Oil started
flowing again in April.
This week China’s foreign ministry said that Beijing is closely
watching the recent twists in relations between Sudan and South Sudan
and their impact on the oil sector which is largely dominated by
Chinese oil companies.
(ST)
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