Negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan

1. Attached please find five documents circulated by the Republic of
South Sudan as updates on the current round of talks between South
Sudan and Sudan.

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2. Attached please find Enough Project briefing paper on the talks,
6th September 2012, also available online at
http://www.enoughproject.org/files/NegotiationsBrief.pdf.

Enough Project Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 6, 2012

Contact: Tracy Fehr, +1-937-902-9587, tfehr@enoughproject.org

International Pressure Key to Comprehensive Agreement Between the Sudans

JUBA, South Sudan – As Sudan and South Sudan enter the final round of
negotiations, the international community must pressure both countries
to resolve all outstanding issues to secure sustained peace between
the Sudans, according to a new Enough Project brief.

During the last round of negotiations, the two parties provisionally
agreed to an economic deal that includes the resumption of oil
shipments from South Sudan through Sudan. Elements of both parties and
the international community could be tempted to move forward with an
oil deal and avoid addressing politically challenging issues along
Sudan and South Sudan’s border.

A comprehensive agreement on remaining post-secession issues—including
the status of Abyei, border disputes and demarcation, security
arrangements along the border, and citizenship—is fundamental to
ensuring an end to conflict and long-term stability between the two
Sudans.

“A unique window of opportunity exists in this final round of
negotiations for Juba and Khartoum to agree on processes to address
long-simmering sources of tension along the two countries’ shared
border,” said Amanda Hsiao, the report’s author and Enough Project
field researcher. “Since the two parties now have fewer pieces of
leverage to negotiate with, sustained and coordinated international
pressure will be critical to push Juba and Khartoum toward a
comprehensive deal.”

The brief asserts that countries with leverage in the Sudans should
push both parties to, at a minimum, agree on the centerline for a
demilitarized border zone; the modalities of a referendum on Abyei,
including voter eligibility; and a pro­cess for resolving border
disputes. The brief argues that international actors should treat
September 22,2012—the date when the facilitating African Union
High-Level Implementation Panel will present its final report—as a
hard deadline for all outstanding issues to be resolved.

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3. Sudan and South Sudan ends talks over four freedoms

September 9, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Khartoum announced last Friday that
Sudan and South Sudan finalised discussions over four freedoms as the
text of the deal is ready for signing by the president of the two
states at the end of the month.

The four freedoms agreement which was negotiated last March by the two
countries, allows citizens of both states to enjoy “freedom of
residence, freedom of movement, freedom to undertake economic activity
and freedom to acquire and dispose property”.

Idriss Abdel Gadir, head of Sudanese delegation said the two parties
agreed to form a joint commission headed by interior ministers to
follow up the implementation of the deal. He added the work of the
commission will be based on the principle of reciprocity.

He also said that presidents Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir will sign
formally the agreement in a summit the mediation intends to organise
at the end of the talks this month.

The four agreement is the second deal to be finalised after the oil
transportation fees agreed last August. However Sudan says security is
a prerequisite to the implementation of all the deal sealed by the two
countries.

Khartoum accuses Juba of supporting Sudanese rebels and demand a clear
commitment stop it. Il also speaks about military and political
disengagement with the SPLM-North.

The Sudanese far-right party Just Peace Forum (JPF) announced Saturday
it opposition to the agreement saying the issue of four freedom cannot
be discussed while SPLA troops are inside Sudan.

The group was alluding to the SPLM-North who fight the Sudanese army
in South Kordofan.

(ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article43844

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4. US expresses support for delayed Abyei referendum

September 9, 2012 (JUBA) — United States Administration expressed its
support to the organisation of a referendum on the status of Abyei and
to uphold the rights of the Ngok Dinka in the disputed area, said Luka
Biong Deng following a visit to Washington.

The co-chair of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) attended
the convention of the Democratic Party in Charlotte, North Carolina,
before stopping in Washington where he met with the US President’s
Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Princeton Lyman and US Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman on Friday 7
September.

He also met with Director of African Affairs in the White House Grant
Harris, who was a close aide to the US Ambassador to the United
Nations Susan Rice.

From Washington Biong headed to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa to
join the South Sudanese delegation for the talks over the outstanding
between the two countries which includes the final status of Abyei.

In statements emailed to Sudan Tribune, Biong said he was reassured by
the position of American officials who reiterated their clear
commitment to ruling of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration
(PCA), which defined Abyei borders.

He further said they back the organisation of a “referendum for the
people of Abyei with eligibility criteria that would ensure the
decision of the Ngok Dinka as the main targets as well as having a
credible referendum commission.”

Sudan and South Sudan disagree on who can participate in a vote agreed
in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) where the residents of the
region have to choose between joining the now independent South Sudan
or remain part of South Kordofan State in Sudan.

The divergence led to postpone the organisation of the referendum
which was supposed to be held simultaneously with the referendum on
South Sudan secession in January 2011.

Sudanese army took the control of the area in May 2011 after an attack
on its troops and President Omer Al-Bashir removed the agreed
administration. However, an Ethiopian force is deployed in Abyei in
accordance with an agreement signed on 20 June 2011 and the two
parties pulled out their troops in June 2012.

Charles Abyei Jok, former Speaker of Abyei Area Legislative Council
said he does not expect the formation of a joint administration in
Abyei in the current process in Addis Ababa.

“We believe outcomes of the negotiations in Ethiopia will be final and
binding decision on both parties”, Charles said on Sunday.

“If they will be final and binding decision, we therefore do not
expect establishment of the joint administration in the area,” Jok
said, stressing that his community would prefer that the dispute be
resolved through a referendum.

The two parties, differ over the formation of a temporary
administration in line with the deal of 20 June 2011 because Juba
demands that Khartoum appoints a Dinka Ngok at the position of speaker
of the legislative assembly, but the former refuses such condition.

The mediation seek to maintain the status quo as to focus its efforts
on the organisation of the referendum which remains the main target of
the two parties, despite several altercations taking place in the
areas between the youth of Dinka Ngok and Misseriya traders.

Thabo Mkebi who chairs the African Union High Implementation Panel
(AUHIP) mediation team plans to hold a presidential meeting between
Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa on 21 September and
present them a map road to settle this crucial issue.

“I shared with them (U.S. officials) our concerns about the intention
of AUHIP not to share their proposal on the final status of Abyei with
the negotiating team but only with the two Presidents and the danger
of such approach that may undermine the entire talks,” said Biong who
leads the South Sudanese delegation in relation to Abyei.

To hold the Abyei referendum, the two parties have to agree on Abyei
Area Referendum Commission, and the referendum Act which should define
the eligibility of voters.

Sudan’s insistence that the Misseriya are resident in the area and
therefore should be allowed to vote, has been a major sticking point.

Biong said the U.S. officials pledged to assist the return of those
displaced by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) after it seized the in May
2011, and support recovery and development project in Abyei.

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman “in
particular passed a clear message to the people of Abyei of the strong
commitment of U.S. government to the cause of the people of Abyei and
she reiterated that the people of Abyei should always remember that
U.S. is fully behind their cause,” Biong said in an email.

In November the incumbent Democratic Party President, Barak Obama,
will fight the former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney the candidate
of Republican Party for re-election.

Both candidates declare their support to South Sudan.

Last July, two former special envoys to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, and
Richard Williamson who joined Romney team, criticised the ” soft
posture” of President Obama and pledged to work for the deployment of
an international force on the common border between the two countries.

(ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article43854

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5. Sudan: Khartoum Rejects U.S Accusations of Impeding Establishment
of Buffer Zone

7 SEPTEMBER 2012 allAfrica.com

Khartoum — Sudan strongly rejected statements by U.S. Ambassador to
the United Nations accusing Khartoum of dragging its feet in the talks
over establishment of a buffer zone on common border with South Sudan.

Ambassador Susan Rice on Thursday condemned Sudan’s continued refusal
to a map proposed by the African Union mediation to establish a buffer
zone adding such attitude “risks the resumption of outright conflict.”

Commenting on Rice’s remarks, Undersecretary of the Sudanese Foreign
Ministry, Rahmat-Allah Mohamed Osman, said what she had said reflects
its bad intentions towards Khartoum.

“It would have been better for her to wait for the outcome of
negotiations,” he added.

Osman went further to accuse the mediation of backing South Sudanese
position on the area Mile 14.

Sudan keeps refusing to make any concession over the issue of Mile 14
which is located on the border between East Darfur and Western Bahr
El-Ghazal. Khartoum says Juba has no right to make any claim over this
grazing land.

Also President Omer Al-Bashir last June accused “some conspirators” in
the African Union of hiding Sudan’s letter of objection to this map in
November 2011 and falsifying its will in a report they sent to the UN
Security Council.

The issue seemingly would hamper all the process as Khartoum makes an
agreement over security issues a perquisite to the implementation of
any deal reached with Juba.

International community believes that pressures on Khartoum can push
it to change its mind and accept to operationalise the demilitarized
zone with the proposed map. But the negotiating team is also under
huge pressures in Khartoum from the tribes of disputed areas and the
hardliners of the ruling National Congress Party.

Last week, the members of the negotiating team were accused of
ignorance and advised by the Arab tribes of consult them before to
conclude any deal over the disputed areas with the South Sudan.

Abdella Masar, a leading Rizziggat figure said the South Sudanese
negotiators who are from the disputed areas, have fooled their
Sudanese counterparts in the past and advised them to not repeat such
errors.

South Sudanese delegation to the talks said Bashir suggested to Salva
Kiir to during their last meeting on the sidelines of the African
Union summit to hold direct talks and to disregard the position of the
mediation over this map.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201209090115.html

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______________________
John Ashworth

Sudan, South Sudan Advisor