Sudan intentionally broke cooperation agreement, says Barnaba
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July 20, 2013 (JUBA) – Juba government has expressed its anger after
Khartoum’s letter of 7 July announcing it will stop the flow of South
Sudanese crude oil to international markets via the Sudanese
territory, accusing the latter of deliberately breaking a cooperation
agreement signed last September.
JPEG - 51 kb
South Sudan’s information minister Barnaba Marial September 13, 2011 (ST)
"We are not surprised but we believe the decision by the government of
Sudan to stop using its territory to export the oil to the
international market is unjustifiable. It is just a clear
manifestation of the deliberate plan and intention of the government
of Sudan to dishonour the cooperation agreement", said information
minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin.
"The government had repeatedly said and testified in various forums
that it does not provide any support to any armed groups fighting
Sudan. President Salva Kiir Mayardit himself had repeatedly
testified", he added.
Since the independence of the South Sudan in July 2011, the two
countries used to trade accusations of over a number of outstanding
issues.
In September 2012 they however signed nine cooperation agreements
brokered by an African mediation team headed by the former South
African president Thabo Mbeki. The oil exportation, and support to
rebel groups toped the signed deals.
The mediation hoped this Cooperation Agreement would respond to the
two major concerns for the two governments oil for South Sudan and
rebels for Sudan and create conducive environment to handle two
remaining disputes : Abyei and border demarcation.
However, Khartoum continued to accuse Juba of supporting its former
allies in the rebel South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North
(SPLM-N), and announced on 7 June that the exportation of the South
Sudanese oil will be stopped within 60 days unless Juba implements its
part of the deal.
In an exclusive interview with Sudan Tribune, Marial expressed fear
that the decision may irrevocably destroy the dream of two viable
states co-existing peacefully.
The official spokesperson for South Sudan further said Khartoum "had
intention to break the agreement" because it does not want to use the
procedures and mechanisms provided for in the deal to address parties’
grievances about the implementation processes.
"We feel the government of Sudan had [an] intention to violate the
agreement because it has failed to use the procedures and the
mechanisms which could be used to address any reservation about how
the implementation processes [are carried out]", he said.
"There is a Joint Border Verification Monitoring Mechanism. There is
also [the] Joint Political Security Mechanism and there is a joint
border coordinating task at the level the two defence ministers with
the membership from the general chief-of-staff from the two armed
forces. These are bodies which can be used whenever there is an
issue", he added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs and
international cooperation, ambassador Mawien Makol, said his
government is seeking the intervention of powerful foreign nations to
exert pressure on Sudan to respect the agreement signed with Juba.
Makol said the ministry had received the letter of notification from
the Sudanese government through its embassy in Khartoum, adding that
the letter has been extended to the ministry of petroleum and mining
which later briefed the president and the cabinet on its
ramifications.
"The cabinet listened to the briefing of the minister and agreed with
the measures he had taken to reduce the production so as to avoid
damage to the environment and to the infrastructure", Makol told
reporters on Saturday.
China, the first investor and buyer of the South Sudanese oil, pledged
to use its good relations with the two countries to reduce tensions
between them and to ensure the implementation of the 27 September
agreement and its implementation mechanism.
Khartoum, also, expressed hopes that China can convince South Sudanese
to stop its support to the rebel groups but warned that it would not
reverse its decision.
The African Union panel recently made a series of proposals aiming to
ensure the effective implementation of the security arrangements and
dispatched a team of experts to determine the centreline of the
demilitarized border zone between the two countries.
on the other hand, Security delegations are expected to meet on Monday
22 July in Addis Ababa to discuss complaints of support to rebel
groups from both sides.
(ST)
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