Sudan-South Sudan Forum praises Presidents Omer Al-Bashir, Salva Kiir, for breakthrough achived during negotiations

Addis Ababa - The Participants in the 5th Sudan-South Sudan Constructive Forum (SSSCF) commended Presidents of Sudan and South Sudan, Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir Myardit, for the breakthrough achived during the negotiations held recently in Addis Ababa.

A communiqué issued by the African Union said the Forum, co-chaired by the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Jean Ping and the Chairperson-elect of the AU Commission, Madam kosazanaDlamini-Zuma, commended the two Presidents for demonstrating constructive leadership and political will to reach agreements on: security, border issues (including demarcation), oil, the Status of Nationals of the Other State and other economic arrangements.

The Forum also praised the AUHIP, chaired by the former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, for facilitating the resolution of the outstanding issues between the Parties. They acknowledged the contribution of the AU Border Programme to the on-going efforts. The Participants commended the work of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan and South Sudan for his support to the negotiation process.

The Commuinque said also the participants in the Forum further praised UNISFA and the other relevant peacekeeping operations for their support to the peace process between the two countries.

The Commuinque further added that the Participants noted that the AUHIP has submitted a comprehensive proposal regarding the Final Status of Abyei, and strongly encouraged the Parties to continue negotiations on this issue, with a view to reaching agreement before the Peace and Security Council meets to consider the report of the AUHIP.

The Participants encouraged the Parties to implement the remaining provisions of the 20 June 2011 Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of the Abyei Area, including, inter alia, the establishment of the Abyei Area Administration, the Abyei Executive Council, the Abyei Police Service and the
Intergovernmental Taskforce on Humanitarian Assistance. They also encouraged the parties to complete expeditiously the negotiations related to the disputed and claimed border areas.

The Commuinque said the participants in the Forum expressed grave concern regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States of Sudan, and welcomed the memoranda of understanding reached separately by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) with the UN, AU and League of Arab States, respectively, on 4 and 5 August 2012.

The Commuinque explained that the Participants in the Forum paid tribute to the late Ethiopian Prime Minister MelesZenawi and thanked his successor, Hailemariam Desalegn, for carrying on his work for the role they have played in the peace process in Sudan and South Sudan.

It is to be noted that the Forum Participants heard presentations from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan, Mr. Ali Ahmed Karti, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of South Sudan, Mr. Nhial Deng Nhial. Participants also received a message from H.E. General AbdulsalamiAbubakar on behalf of the African Union Highlevel implementation Panel (AUHIP), the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, and the Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

The Sudan-South Sudan Consultative Forum, initially established as the
Sudan Consultative Forum on 8 May 2010, held its fifth meeting at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, on 27 September 2012.

The Forum, which is co-chaired by the UN Secretary-Genera and the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), includes experts from the neighbouring countries of South Sudan and Sudan, namely Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya andUganda; Benin, as the Chair of the AU; the permanent members of the UN SecurityCouncil - UNSC (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America), as well as South Africa and Togo as AU Member States on the UNSC; Norway,
Qatar; Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Turkey; IGAD (Secretariat and Chair), the League of Arab States (Secretariat and Chair), the European Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the African Development Bank and the World Bank.

The meeting was convened to review progress made on post-secession negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan following the adoption of the AU Roadmap on 24 April 2012, which was subsequently endorsed by the UNSC, through resolution 2046 of 2 May 2012.