Khartoum’s Negotiator: Oil shutdown pushing South Sudan to end row
Oil shutdown pushing South Sudan to end row: Sudan
SECURITY FIRST
At least in public, the two sides are still far apart.
Among other ideas, Khartoum has proposed that South Sudan pay a mix of fees amounting to about $36 per barrel, of which about $6 would be transit fees. The rest would cover transport and the use of a marine terminal and processing facilities.
Southern officials said last week they were willing to pay $2.6 billion to help plug Sudan’s budget deficit and would lobby for debt relief. Juba has proposed a transit fee of about $1 per barrel.
Hassan said bridging the gap would be relatively easy once security issues, especially rebel activity on both sides of the long and poorly-drawn border, had been dealt with.
“The key to all this is security,” he said. “Neither of the two countries should support rebels in the other country … oil comes second, actually.”
To reach a deal, Juba must agree to stop supporting rebels in Sudan’s South Kordofan andBlue Nile border states, he said.
The two regions are home to tens of thousands of fighters who sided with the south during the civil war but were left in the north after partition. Fighting broke out again last year, with both sides blaming the other for provoking the conflict.
Resolving the dispute means South Sudan will have to break its “historical tie” with the rebels, Hassan said. “If they succeed in that, if they do have the political will and they succeed, then I think things might work out.”
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is set to meet his southern counterpart Salva Kiir in Juba on April 3 to discuss issues including oil and the conflict in the two border states.
South Sudan hopes to end oil row within “a month or two” JUBA – South Sudan hopes to resolve a row over oil and other outstanding issues with Sudan within a month or two, South Sudan’s top negotiator said on Saturday, pointing to an easing of tensions between the two old civil war foes.The new nation also said it would not arrest Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide and other crimes, when he visits the southern capital Juba next month.South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war, but the two have continued to argue over issues including how much the landlocked South should pay to use Sudan’s oil facilities for export.The dispute pushed Juba to shut down its 350,000 barrel per day oil production in January.But the two sides have made some headway in recent weeks, agreeing to provisional deals that allow for protection of citizens residing in one another’s countries and lay out plans to demarcate much of the poorly-drawn border.
Both presidents are set to meet in Juba on April 3 to sign the documents and discuss other unresolved issues including the status of the contested Abyei region and the oil dispute.
“They can proceed in this new positive environment to discuss all the issues and hopefully reach agreement within a very clear time frame, hopefully a month or two,” Pagan Amum, South Sudan’s chief negotiator, told reporters in Juba.
Amum said Bashir would not be arrested during his visit. South Sudan is not a signatory to the ICC’s Rome Statute, which compels members to arrest suspects.
“President Salva Kiir has provided assurance as he is the head of state inviting president Bashir and that in itself is an assurance. You don’t invite somebody as a trick,” Amum said.
Sudan does not acknowledge the ICC and says the accusations are politically motivated.
|
||
Beyond Wristbands: Your wider guide to South Sudan The Yorker South Sudan is Africa’s most recently formed independent country, gaining independence from Sudan on 9th July 2011. The recent history of the country is one of internal military conflict and rule. During the twentieth century, two civil wars were … |
|
||
South Sudanese opposition rejects Pagan’s acquittal of corruption charges Sudan Tribune Two South Sudanese newspapers and Chol were ordered by the court to pay 100000 SSP (US$37000) in damages. Marek said that the media should not be penalised for faithfully reporting on what individuals say. Marek accused the court of not following “all … |
Sudan says South Kordofan’s survey proves stable humanitarian situation Sudan Tribune March 24, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan announced Saturday that the humanitarian situation in the troubled region of South Kordofan is stable according to the outcome of a joint survey conducted with the United Nations agencies in state. |
Oil shutdown pushing South Sudan to end row: Sudan Chicago Tribune KHARTOUM (Reuters) – South Sudan’s shutdown of its crude production in a damaging row with Sudan over oil payments appears to have backfired and put pressure on Juba to soften its bargaining stance, one of Khartoum’s negotiators said on Sunday. |