|
Ambassador of Sudan to Addis Ababa Abdul Rahman Sir Al-khatim said these meetings were convened in preparation for the imminent summit which bring together the Sudanese president Al Bashir and the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir. "The meetings of the two presidents are expected to go on till Saturday in order to reach solutions for all the outstanding issues." said the ambassador.
In a statement to (Sudan Vision) he said that there is optimism that an agreement to end the tension between the two countries can be reached regarding the issue of Abyei and the demarcation of borders before the African Summit which is scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa in mid January.
These meetings between the two presidents have been welcomed broadly internationally. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and British Foreign Minister William Haig all welcomed the meetings between the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan to exert yet more efforts to resolve outstanding uissues between the two countries. The three ministers issued a joint statement released by the US Department of State in which they commended the progress made by the two presidents in their last summit in September 2012 and said that the possibility for a just and permanent compromise is now within reach.
"We commend the continuing valuable role of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel led by former President Thabo Mbeki and the efforts of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn." They said
They went on to say in their joint statement: " We regret that progress in implementing the Agreements signed on 27 September has stalled and in particular that the agreed security arrangements at the border are not yet in place. We call on the two leaders now to address concretely all outstanding issues and ensure that the armed forces of the two countries immediately withdraw from the demilitarized zone and deploy the Joint Border and Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), in line with what has been agreed."
The US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her Norwegian and British counterparts stressed in their statement on the importance of achieving a parallel improvement in other aspect of the relations between the two countries.
They pointed out that the full implementation of the agreements according to its articles without any conditions will help in confidence building and benefit the people of the two nations, besides the economical value of resuming pumping South Sudan oil for both Sudan and South Sudan.
The three ministers hinted to the commitment of the international community towards the visions of the two countries in living in peace and its readiness to provide the required support to achieve that vision.
They urged the two leaders to seize the opportunity of the summit to prove their commitment in implementing what was agreed on and to transform the peaceful coexistence to reality.
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon welcomed the meeting between the two President in Addis Ababa and urged them to resolve all the outstanding issues between the two countries.
UNSG Spokesperson issued a statement clarifying that the UN Secretary-General welcomes holding a summit between Sudanese President Omer Al Bashir and South Sudan President Salva Kiir hosted by the Ethiopian Premier Hailemariam Desalegn facilitated by AUHIP Chief Thabo Mebki.
Ban Ki Moon encouraged the two Presidents to decisively resolve all the outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan including the borders’ demarcation, security and the final status of Abyei area, besides activating the security mechanisms agreed upon over borders and implementation of all other agreements signed on 27th September, 2012.
He affirmed that the UN is ready to support the two sides in implementing the agreements and assisting in resolving the remaining disputes.
By Al Samani Awadallah | 
RSS Site |
RSS News
)
