Brussels, 03/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - That the referendum on self-determination for Southern Sudan passed off peacefully and credibly is a “success of which we can all be proud”. The result must be respected, but vigilance will be needed on the settlement of all the outstanding issues on which the stability and sustainable peace in Sudan as a whole depend. That was what EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton reiterated in the evening of Wednesday 2 February; when she addressed the European Parliament in Brussels, just as she had told EU foreign ministers two days previously (see EUROPE 10305).
Ashton said that this was a historic moment for Sudan and for the whole of the African continent. The provisional results from the 10 southern states had delivered an overwhelming majority (99.5%) in favour of secession. The final results would be announced in the coming weeks, she said, and she congratulated the people of Southern Sudan for the determination, dignity and patience they had shown in turning out to vote in such massive numbers. She also sent her congratulations to the authorities for their “remarkable” work in organising the referendum.
Among the issues that have to be settled urgently, she cited the referendum on the status of Abyei, which has been postponed, the border between North and South, and consultations with the people of the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. She said she hoped that all parties would re-focus their energies on resolving these issues and on key post-referendum arrangements, including citizenship, security, sharing oil revenues and other economic issues. She expressed her deep concern at the upsurge in violence in Darfur and at the scale of humanitarian challenges to be met. She said the EU would continue to meet its commitments both to Khartoum and to Juba, and, indeed, was ready to increase its commitment to the government in Khartoum. MEPs shared Ashton's hopes and fears and called on the whole of the EU to recognise Southern Sudan as an independent state. Charles Goerens (ALDE, Luxembourg) warned: “The most pessimistic scenarios have not come to pass. The Southern Sudanese have expressed their desire for independence within the time set and without any major obstacles. This has been to a great extent due to magnificent international cooperation and the good will of the Sudanese authorities. However, six years after the comprehensive peace agreement came into force, much remains to be done. The complexity of the problems left by the war is still there, and divisions remain between North and South. This problem has to be resolved”. (A.N./transl.rt)