Brussels, 07/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, and Salva Kir, his counterpart from South Sudan, met last weekend in Addis Ababa (where the African Union, AU, is based) in a further effort to address outstanding post-secession issues between the two countries. This was applauded by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. In order to break the deadlock, the two heads of state undertook, on Sunday 5 January, to establish a timetable for reactivating earlier agreements, that have currently stalled, concerning inter alia the sharing of oil resources produced in the South (Djuba) but halted since January 2012, and infrastructure in the North.
In a statement issued on 4 January, Ashton's spokesman states: “The High Representative applauds the continued engagement of former [Ed.: South African] President Mbeki and the efforts made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to bring the parties together. Reports of renewed fighting in the volatile border area demonstrate the urgent need to put border security mechanisms in place, including a Safe Demilitarised Border Zone and the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission, in line with what has already been agreed”.
Ashton urges the two parties to proceed without delay with full implementation of all the agreements signed on 27 September 2012 and to address decisively other outstanding issues related to Abyei and borders, in accordance with the communiqués issued by the African Union Peace and Security Council on 24 October and 14 December 2012. (AN/transl.jl)