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August 23, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s Ambassador to the United Nations said he regrets part of the wording of a Security Council draft presidential statement prepared by the United States Mission to the UN on the ongoing talks between Khartoum and Juba over the unresolved issues relating to South Sudan’s independence.
- Sudan’s Permanent Envoy to the UN, Ambassador Dafa’a Allah Alhag Ali Osman, speaks to the media in New York at the U.N. headquarters (file/Reuters)
Ambassador, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations was commenting a draft of presidential statements circulated by the US Ambassador Susan Rice since a consultation meeting on the outstanding issues on 9 August.
The draft welcomed the oil transportation fees deal reached on 3 August but condemned Khartoum’s reluctance to accept a map proposed by the mediation team to establish a buffer zone on the border between countries.
It also urges the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) to resume talks without preconditions.
Daffa-Alla said some paragraphs of the draft presidential statement lacks objectivity citing the criticism of Sudan’s rejection to the map of the buffer zone prepared by the mediation. He further underlined in statements released by Sudan’s official news agency SUNA, that the draft at the same time praises South Sudan acceptance of the map.
Sudan continues to reject the operationalisation of the buffer zone because the proposed map includes a territory, Mile 14, which Sudan refuses to consider as disputed area as Juba claims.
Also, the implementation of the oil deal, reached earlier this month, depends on the signing of a deal to implement the security arrangements the two countries sealed since November 2011.
Daffa-Alla said that they contacted different states members of the UN Security Council, like Russia, China, Azerbaijan, India and Pakistan to explain that the American draft statement was unbalanced.
He added that the position of these countries led to a delay in the presidential statement as consultations are still ongoing to improve the language of the draft and to make it balanced.
The Sudanese diplomat said the French ambassador who chairs the Security Council this month told him that there is no need for a presidential statement at this stage preferring to wait for the outcome of talks, which are due to resume within days.
The French ambassador stressed during a meeting held Thursday on the need to encourage the two parties to reach satisfactory agreements, according to Daffa-Allah.
On Tuesday, US special envoy for the two countries, Princeton Lyman, urged Sudan to accept the map stressing that establishment of a demilitarised zone will allow oil exportation for the benefit of the two countries and create a conducive environment to resolve the remaining issues.
The Security Council held Thursday a bimonthly consultation on the talks between Sudan and South Sudan as provided in its resolution 2046.
Edmond Mulet, Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the meeting that there had been little developments since the suspension of the talks earlier this month. He also said the process would resume on 30 August.
(ST)
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