Sudan: April 6 Meeting of the Assessment and

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000882 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV EAID PREL SU SUBJECT: Sudan: April 6 Meeting of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission ¶1. SUMMARY: On April 6, Chairman Tom Vraalsen convened the sixth meeting of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC). Participation was good: all three NCP, and two SPLM members attended. The most contentious issues raised at the meeting were the scope of the working groups' mandate and the role of the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC). FM Lam Akol and the representatives from the NCP felt that the working groups should stick to the letter of the CPA, while SPLM Malik Agar and some of the donor representatives believed it was appropriate to discuss issues more broadly in the overall context of the spirit of the CPA. With regards to the NCRC, Akol said that its exact role reviewing legislation is up for interpretation, but that laws just needed consensus from the two parties. He explained that as long as the National Assembly, which has the same proportional make-up of the NCRC, can reach a consensus, then it is as good as an NCRC approval. END SUMMARY. -------------- Assessing the Letter of Spirit of the CPA? -------------- ¶2. During the discussion of the reports of the four working groups, Akol and the NCP representatives expressed concern that some groups were exceeding their mandate and reporting on issues not covered in the CPA. Specifically mentioned was the report from the Working Group on the Three Areas, which discussed the issue of representation of the SPLM in the Blue Nile civil service, the integration of former SPLM members into the police and judiciary, and the possibility of rotating the speaker of the state assembly in South Kordofan. Minister Agar, as well as the Dutch and Italian representatives, felt that it was appropriate to address any issue that threatens the peace or the spirit of the CPA. For the transition areas in particular, Agar said that the CPA called for representation from both parties in the governments, so discussing how that representation takes shape is part of the work of the AEC. Nevertheless, Vraalsen cautioned that the working groups should stay as close as possible to the CPA to preserve the credibility of the AEC. -------------- CPA Going Ahead Without the NCRC -------------- ¶3. The GNU representative from the NCP then went over the key accomplishments in CPA implementation over the past month. He particularly highlighted the work of the Technical Ad hoc Border Committee, which had decided to begin by identifying "flash points" of dispute and focusing on those areas. Akol commended this progress despite the fact that the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) had failed to send a replacement member for Michael Makwei, who had dropped out of the committee over a protocol issue. The GNU representative also said that there had been good progress on the National Census Board, and that they were now waiting for the GoSS to name a new Director of the Southern Sudan Center for Statistics and Evaluation (SSCSE). ¶4. Akol said that the highest priority right now was prioritizing the legislation for CPA implementation. He explained that there were currently 60 laws going before the National Assembly, which was more than it could handle in one session. The British representative expressed concern that the NCRC had not reviewed these laws. Akol responded by saying that all that is required is for the SPLM and NCP to achieve consensus on any laws. He said that bypassing the NCRC does not violate the CPA, because the proportional representation in the National Assembly is the same as the NCRC, and that the Council of Ministers could review the laws for compliance with the CPA and Interim National Constitution. Akol believed that the laws were too important to wait for the NCRC to reconstitute, which should happen soon, but is currently waiting for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to make its nomination. Either way, Akol said, the issue of whether the NCRC should review all laws, or just laws dealing with commissions, is up for interpretation. -------------- Chairman's Report and Follow-up -------------- ¶5. Vraalsen reported that the AEC offices will soon be ready, thanks to a donation of furniture and office equipment from the U.S. Norway has provided a vehicle for the AEC, the Germans are providing a legal expert, and the Italians have pledged Euro 500,000. However, he KHARTOUM 00000882 002 OF 002 said that more support was necessary as the AEC was about to begin recruiting staff for its secretariat. ¶6. The Chairman closed the meeting by explaining that he was planning to convene a three special "committee of the whole" meetings (in consecutive weeks beginning April 27) so that the commission could hear presentations on the three issues about which he was most concerned: the work of the Joint Defense Board, the role of the National Constitutional Review Commission (NCRC),and the status of Khartoum State as the national capital. The next plenary meeting is scheduled for May 7. STEINFELD