Sudan: Officilal, Popular Support Conditional to Endorsement of any Agreement with S. Sudan

Khartoum – The Sudanese Government said it intends to ensure the participation of representatives of all components of South Kordofan and Blue Nile States in the upcoming negotiations and will also conduct wide consultations with all tribes at the border with South Sudan.

Sudan's Defence Minister First Lt. Gen. (PSC) Engineer Abdul Rahim Mohamed Hussein, at a briefing to political and parliamentary figures of South Kordofan, South Darfur and Blue Nile, affirmed that the state is keen to ensure a broad participation in the upcoming negotiations especially on the border dossier. "It is the issue of all Sudan's components" he said.

The Defence Minister said the President of the Republic directed that Sudan's negotiating team should not be hasty in signing any agreement before necessary official and popular support is mobilized for such accord.

"Do not be hasty in signing agreements and negotiate with patience" the President told Sudan's negotiators, according to the Defence Minister.

Gen. Hussein told the meeting that all the maps presented by Sudan negotiators were supported by documents and evidence which convinced all observers within and outside, adding that the map presented by the AU mediation agrees with the map of the Sudanese side except for mile 14 area. He pointed out that Sudan's negotiating team presented evidence proving that Mile 14 is part of Sudan in accordance with Sudan's map of 1956 which was also used by the UN.

He stressed that the Sudanese Government would not compromise an inch of its land at the border with South Sudan or elsewhere, adding that any agreement reached in this regard would be referred to state institutions for consideration before it is signed, calling on political parties and tribes to support the national will on border issues. He said the Government would seek the opinions of border tribes and residents on any decision regarding the border dossier.