Brussels, 25/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - The future of South Sudan and that of North Sudan, which are very closely linked, dominated the Foreign Affairs Council which met in its Development format in Brussels on Tuesday 24 May, as violence was mounting in Abyei with the approaching historical declaration of independence in South Sudan, anticipated for 9 July.
With an additional €200 million made available shortly before by the Council to support the sustainable and peaceful creation of the future independent state, which faces enormous development and stability challenges (EUROPE 10384), the ministers of the EU27 laid the foundations for the global strategy which the EU has been preparing since the results of the referendum on independence and which will be ready for the June Foreign Affairs Council, announced Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. As their foreign affairs counterparts did on Monday, they expressed their grave concern at the violence in Abyei, a city on the border between North and South, whose future status has not yet been determined, and spoke out against the use of heavy weapons against civilian populations. They also expressed concerns at the situation in South Kordofan and Darfur.
The report presented by Andris Piebalgs, European Development Commissioner, of his trip to Khartoum and Juba on 13 May allowed the EU27 to arrive at orientations for the joint programming (Commission and member states) of aid to South Sudan in six priority areas. It will be the responsibility of the government of South Sudan to identify specific actions to be funded as part of its development plan 2011-2013 anticipated by the community of international donors in the course of the year.
“It is just over six weeks until South Sudan's independence […]. I intend to attend the Independence Day ceremony. We are committed to helping both North and South Sudan. We are working hard to have a comprehensive EU strategy”, Ashton told the press. The EU office in Juba will be extended to become a permanent delegation, she announced, adding: “The Council strongly condemned the recent violence in Abyei, which saw Sudanese Armed Forces occupying the town and civilians being driven out. We consider the use of force against civilians to be totally unacceptable. It's crucial that hostilities cease immediately, and that the Northern forces withdraw from Abyei, to prevent a serious setback for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We call on all parties to redouble their efforts to resolve all outstanding issues with the help of President Mbeki.” The recognition of the future South Sudan will be the competence of the member states, the high representative stated, rejecting any parallels with Kosovo.
Commissioner Piebalgs stressed that “with around €300 million made available for South Sudan (€85 million were previously earmarked for it on top of the €150 million for the vulnerable populations in Sudan), we are ready for the situation post-independence”. This is, he said, “a considerable package of aid and essential to support health, education, water management, food security, administrative capacities and good governance, rural development and urban development”.
Work is underway locally in Juba/Khartoum with the member states and all instruments of the EU, notably to establish the division of labour, “but we need a strategy to reduce poverty in the country. When it is ready, we will be able to develop our action”, the commissioner stated. He added that security is a major challenge, but “should not prevent the programming of the aid to channel it when security allows, wherever possible”. He also stressed the necessary humanitarian assistance. “The country is desperate. It needs all of the aid”, he said. The accession of South Sudan to the Cotonou agreement between the EU and 78 states of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) will allow it access to the resources of the 10th European Development Fund (10 EDF, 2008-2013). The future state is to table an application for accession shortly after its independence, but this accession will benefit from an agreement of the 78 ACP countries and the EU. In order to do this, the ACP-EU Council of 31 May will give a mandate to the committee of ACP ambassadors. The EU will deal with the issue during the June Foreign Affairs Council. (A.N./transl.fl)