Brussels, 17/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU has welcomed the largely peaceful referendum on Southern Sudan's self-determination, which ended on Saturday 14 January, but regrets the incidents reported in the Abyei region, on the border between North and South, in which there was loss of life.
According to initial conclusions published on Monday 17 January, the EU electoral observation team (EU EOM), led by MEP Véronique De Keyser (S&D, Belgium), says that the registration of voters was effective and in line with procedures. It says the referendum process was credible and well organised in a generally peaceful atmosphere. Mariya Nedelcheva (EPP, Bulgaria), who headed the European Parliament delegation within the EU EOM, noted, however, that general uncertainty over post-referendum issues and the matter of what is to happen to Abyei contributed to an atmosphere in which isolated violent incidents led to the loss of human lives in Abyei, South Kordofan and the Unified States.
In a statement published on 15 January, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton expressed her “great satisfaction that the Southern Sudan Referendum was held on time and conducted peacefully”. She went on: “The people of Southern Sudan turned out in large numbers to exercise, with patience and dignity, their right to vote on self-determination. This was a historic event and a major milestone in implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), of which the European Union is a witness”. She commended both Sudanese parties to the CPA “for their leadership and for their pledges that the safety and security of all peoples in Sudan will be respected throughout this process”. She also commended the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission and the South Sudan Referendum Bureau “for their efforts to make this referendum happen despite numerous challenges”, and welcomed the “commitment made by President Bashir that his government will respect the outcome of the referendum”. Ashton said, however, that she was “deeply concerned about the recent reports of clashes in the Abyei area”. She called upon the “Sudanese parties to maintain calm and resolve this issue through peaceful dialogue” and assured them that the EU stands ready to assist the parties to achieve “lasting peace and stability, in cooperation with other international partners”. Also on 15 January, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said that “whatever the result, there is no winner and no loser. There is just the expression of the people”. He said that “counting should now take place peacefully and it is up to the observers to evaluate the whole process”. The EU EOM will remain in Sudan until the result is officially announced. Within the two months following the conclusion of the referendum process, the chief observer will return to Sudan to draft the final report and recommendations. (A.N./transl.rt)