SOUTH SUDAN: Country hopes to seal deal on independence issues with Sudan, and pledges not to arrest President Bashir when he visits Juba

Record ID: 344150

  • Title: SOUTH SUDAN: Country hopes to seal deal on independence issues with Sudan, and pledges not to arrest President Bashir when he visits Juba
  • Date: 25th March 2012
  • Summary: JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN (MARCH 24, 2012) (REUTERS) MEDIA GATHERED AROUND SOUTH SUDAN'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, PAGAN AMUM JOURNALIST WRITING JOURNALIST HOLDING DICTAPHONE/SOUTH SUDAN FLAG PIN ON JACKET (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, PAGAN AMUM, SAYING: "The two heads of state will sign the two agreements that we initialled in Addis Ababa in the last round - the agreement to demarcate the border between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan and the agreement on the protection of our citizens in Sudan as the protection of Sudanese citizens in South Sudan." AMUM'S HANDS GESTURING JOURNALIST'S IDENTIFICATION CARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, PAGAN AMUM, SAYING: "Then they can proceed in this new positive environment to discuss all the issues and hopefully reach agreement within a very clear time frame, hopefully a month or two." AMUM TALKING TO JOURNALISTS JOURNALISTS HOLDING DICTAPHONES (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN'S CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, PAGAN AMUM, SAYING: "President Salva Kiir has provided the assurance as he is the head of state, inviting president Bashir, and that by itself is an assurance. You do not invite somebody as a trick." PAGAN WALKING INTO BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 9th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Sudan, South Sudan
  • Country: South Sudan
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA18VVJKAG655RCHWVA3M9K73BL
  • Story Text: South Sudan said on Saturday (March 24) it hoped to resolve all outstanding issues with its former civil war foe Sudan in the next two months, potentially ending months of flagging negotiations that have been mired in acrimony.
    In an easing of tensions, the two sides have made some headway in recent weeks, agreeing to provisional deals that allow for protection of citizens residing in each other's countries and that lay out plans to demarcate much of the poorly-drawn border.
    South Sudan's chief negotiator, Pagan Amum, said the provisional agreements had already been initialled and would be signed next month.
    "The two heads of state will sign the two agreements that we initialled in Addis Ababa in the last round - the agreement to demarcate the border between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan and the agreement on the protection of our citizens in Sudan as the protection of Sudanese citizens in South Sudan," said Amum.
    Both presidents are set to meet in Juba on April 3 to sign the documents and discuss other unresolved issues including the status of the contested Abyei region and the oil dispute.
    "Then they can proceed in this new positive environment to discuss all the issues and hopefully reach agreement within a very clear time frame, hopefully a month or two," Amum told reporters in Juba.
    South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war, but the two have continued to argue over issues including how much the landlocked South should pay to use Sudan's oil facilities for export.
    The dispute pushed Juba to shut down its 350,000 barrel per day oil production in January.
    Amum also reassured Sudan that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes, would not be arrested when he visits the southern capital next month.
    "President Salva Kiir has provided the assurance as he is the head of state, inviting president Bashir, and that by itself is an assurance. You do not invite somebody as a trick," he said.
    Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of genocide and other crimes. But South Sudan is not a signatory to the ICC's Rome Statute, which compels members to arrest suspects.
    Sudan does not acknowledge the ICC and says the accusations against Bashir are politically motivated.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register