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By SRS
Posted to the web on June 17, 2009 |
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June 17, 2009 (NAIROBI) — The SPLM delegation which is to attend a conference in Washington D.C. to discuss progress on the implementation of the CPA with State department officials and a delegation from the NCP, traveled to Nairobi on Monday.
Speaking to Sudan Radio Service, the SPLM deputy secretary-general, Yasir Arman, said that the meeting comes at a critical time for the two partners in the implementation of the CPA.
[Yasir Arman]: “The conference is coming at a time when there are serious differences between the NCP and the SPLM on many issues. It is worth mentioning that the NCP is pursuing a one-party system in Sudan, the NCP is taking decisions at all levels alone, and there is no consensus, either in the presidency, or the legislature, or the executive. They are running the government alone, they are not seeking consensus, so we also regard the meeting as an opportunity that will help the two parties to smooth out the relations for the implementation of the CPA.”
Arman accused the NCP of smuggling arms into southern Sudan to destabilize the security situation.
[Yasir Arman]: “We established it many times and we have evidence that the NCP is sending arms to southern Sudan and to the different militia factions in southern Sudan. And this has contributed to the unstable security situation there. They helped a leader of the militia, Gabriel Tanginye, who destroyed Malakal twice with the assistance and the help of the NCP. How they are sending it? You know that the border between the south and the north is one of the biggest borders all over Africa and we are one country. There is no Berlin Wall, where you can make sure that arms cannot go to the south, and the NCP has an organic link with the militias in southern Sudan. Why they are doing that? It part of destabilizing the regime in the south.”
Arman went on to accuse the NCP of trying to confuse the public about the SPLM party.
[Yasir Arman]: “Not only that, they are tailoring a new party in the name of the SPLM. Now they have already tailored two parties, one of them is called SPLM for Democratic Change and the other, they call it the SPLM National. One of them is being assigned to Doctor Lam Akol, and the other one is led by somebody who is not known at all. These parties are being tailored by the security agencies in Khartoum to confuse the public that there is more than one SPLM. We are looking forward that the NCP will refrain from such activities, so that both of us will be able to implement the rest of the agreement. We want to end the agreement by permanent peace.”
Arman said that one of the contentious issues they will discuss with their CPA partner in Washington DC is the issue of oil revenue.
[Yasir Arman 4-eng]: “Regarding the oil revenue, there is no transparency, we are not working according to the agreement, GOSS is not being represented in marketing the oil and knowing exactly what revenue the oil is bringing. The institution is dominated by NCP members, who are the ones who are deciding on the oil revenue.”
Regarding Darfur, Arman said that the SPLM is not included in the talks, accusing the NCP of imposing its own agenda to try and resolve the conflict.
[Yasir Arman]: “On Darfur, of course the SPLM, as part of GONU, we did many efforts, we had invited the Darfur groups to Juba in order to let them agree a common agenda and to unify their position for the talks, and we have been in many government delegations that were going and negotiating with the Darfurians. Our experience showed that it is the NCP who are keeping their cards close to their chest. They are not formulating a joint and common agenda for Darfur. It is only the National Congress agenda. They tried many times for us to work to their agenda, but we see that the agenda of the NCP will not resolve the questions of Darfur. The question of Darfur needs more than one agenda, it needs a national agenda, an agenda of the GONU, an agenda that will not exclude the SPLM, which will include the SPLM and the other political parties.”
Arman expressed his optimism that President Obama’s administration will continue to support the CPA implementation process.
[Yasir Arman]: “What we want from Obama’s administration is that, we would like them to continue in the same way America has been doing. This agreement came as a result of a lot of hard work from the Sudanese people in the first place, the region, and the international community headed by the United States. Now the Obama administration has come in at the crucial time, when we are reaching the end game, the end result of the agreement, this is the most difficult time for the CPA. We are confident that the new administration will continue in the same efforts, and we are going to achieve permanent peace in Sudan.”
The SPLM and the NCP delegations will meet in Washington with all the CPA partners on 23rd June, to evaluate the progress of the implementation of the CPA over the past four years.
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