SOUTHERN SUDANESE PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS CDA WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001913 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SPG, NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KSCA OTRA EAID CDC SU SUBJECT: SOUTHERN SUDANESE PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISITS CDA WITH LETTER TO POTUS URGING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON PARTIES TO IMPLEMENT CPA ¶1. A multi-party parliamentary delegation from the Southern Sudan (GOSS) Legislative Assembly called on CDA Fernandez December 3 as part of their visit to Khartoum. The Delegation is in town appealing to GNU officials for an end to the current SPLM-NCP stalemate over implementation of the CPA with the message that the people of Southern Sudan "are tired of war." The delegation is also urging international observers to bring pressure to bear on both parties. They presented CDA with a letter from the Speaker of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly Hon. Lt. Gen. James Wani Igga to President Bush (full text of letter below). ¶2. The eight-member delegation, headed by Gabriel Matur Malek, included representatives from a variety of parties in the Assembly, including from the NCP. In his remarks to the CDA, NCP representative Hon. Caesar Baya Loyilala noted that among meetings in Khartoum, delegation head Malek had appealed to the "people of Sudan" in a speech before the National Assembly. Malek said the delegation wanted to thank the people of the U.S. for its support, and for its leadership in concluding the CPA. Loyilala said the Legislative Assembly is concerned at the current lack of momentum in implementation of the CPA, but especially that a miscalculation or accident could spark a renewal of war. Pointing out the variety of tribes represented on the delegation, he also said that the leaders and people of Southern Sudan are working hard to overcome the limitations of tribalism. ¶3. In response, CDA thanked the delegation for their visit and said the USG is urging CPA implementation and is also working to help in the South, even though the task is so much larger that what we are able to provide, particularly after the destruction of the war and chronic neglect by Khartoum. He assured the delegation that he would see that the Speaker's letter was passed to the President. ¶4. The letter, dated November 7, 2007 is entitled "Pushing Forward the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in the Sudan." After reviewing the main areas of non-implementation, the letter calls for all international friends and observers to press both SPLM and NCP to abide by terms of the CPA. ¶5. COMMENT: We were impressed by the cross-party and cross-tribal unity displayed by the legislative assembly delegation in addressing its various interlocutors, both Sudanese and international, in Khartoum. The delegation's stress on ongoing efforts to overcome the divisions of tribalism in Southern society was particularly welcome, as this is a problem the South wrestles with daily. As a cross-party message, the Speaker's letter stresses the need to press both parties over the source of the current political impasse. However, the list of particulars contained in the letter leaves no doubt that the NCP in particular is being called to account. ¶6. Below is the text of the letter from the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly to the POTUS. BEGIN TEXT OF LETTER: GOVERNMENT OF SOUTHERN SUDAN (GOSS) Southern Sudan Assembly Date: 7 th Nov 2007 H.E. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WASHINGTON D.C. USA. Dear Your Excellency RE. PUSHING FORWAD THE COMPREHENSIVE PEACE AGREEMENT (CPA) IN THE SUDAN On 11th October 2007 the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement Interim Political Bureau (SPLMIIPB) met in Juba for eight days to review the progress on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and especially the problems affecting the success thereof. That meeting resulted in the SPLM recalling its Presidential Advisors, Ministers and State Ministers in the Government of National Unity (GoNU) in Khartoum back to Southern Sudan. The decision was based on the lack of political will on the part of the NCP to implement the CPA. Thus the essential political partnership between the SPLM and NCP for upholding peace in the Sudan became at risk. In the light of this political development, the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (Parliament) resolved unanimously to: -- Support the decision of the SPLMIIPB in recalling its KHARTOUM 00001913 002 OF 003 Presidential Advisors, Ministers and State Ministers in the Government of National Unity. -- Represent its views and concerns regarding the political impasse between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) over the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to the Presidency of the Republic; Heads of IGAD Member States; Friends of IGAD; the AU and all other Political Parties in the Sudan. (SSLA Resolution No: 5/2007 dated 23/10/2007) The said resolution was unprecedented because all the eight political parties representing the people of Southern Sudan including the NCP supported it. The decision was also a significant political development, which emanated from the stalled implementation of the CPA, that could plunge the country back to war. The reasons which precipitated the decision of the SPLM/IPB can be summarized as follows: -- Non-implementation of the Abyei Protocol: -------------- According to the protocol, Abyei was to assume a special administrative status so that it could administer itself and prepare its people for a referendum to be held simultaneously with the referendum in Southern Sudan in 2011. The outcome of that referendum would determine whether Abyei would become part of Southern Sudan or retain its special status in Northern Sudan. Hitherto no single part of this protocol has been implemented. Furthermore the recommendations of the Abyei Border Commission have been entirely rejected. -- The Demarcation of the geographical and Political borders between Southern Sudan and Northern Sudan: -------------- -------------- The demarcation of the borders between Southern Sudan and Northern Sudan is very crucial in several ways: -- The borders will clearly demarcate which part of the country is Southern Sudan and which other part is Northern Sudan. -- Clarity of the borders will assist in the process of carrying out the impending population census in Southern Sudan --Both the mid-term elections during the interim period and the referendum after the interim period will be determined through the demarcation of clear borders and the carrying out of the census. Unfortunately work on the border demarcation and census has been too slow considering the fact that we are already completing the third year of the interim period. -- The Formation of the Joint integrated Units (JIUs): -------------- - The formation of the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) comprising the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) during the interim period was to serve as a symbol of national unity and national sovereignty. The JIUs was to be based upon a common doctrine. It was almost impossible for the two parties to agree on a common doctrine. The JIU s could also provide a nucleus for the post interim period Army should the Referendum confirm unity. -- The Redeployment of forces: -------------- It was also agreed that after the formation of the JIUs the rest of SAF Forces already deployed in Southern Sudan were to be redeployed North of South/North border of 1/1/1956 while those of SPLA deployed in Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile be redeployed south of the same borders. The time frame fixed for troops movements was to be two and half years. This period is already over and the withdrawals have not been completed. Therefore the result of all this is an ongoing unwarranted clashes between SAF and SPLA forces in Northern Baher EI Ghazal (Rum-Aker, War -Awar and Meiram) and Northern and Western Upper Nile, leading to many losses of lives. -- The disbanding of other Armed Groups: -------------- No armed group allied to either party shall be allowed to operate outside the two forces" (s.7 (a) of the Security Arrangements in the (CPA). Unfortunately SAF deliberately continues to support the Other Armed Groups (OAG) which are destabilizing the Southern Sudan as KHARTOUM 00001913 003 OF 003 evidenced by a shoot out between SAF and SPLA Forces from 26th to 28th November 2006 in Malakal. -- Wealth sharing Agreement: -------------- As an attempt to equitably redistribute the resources of the country, it was agreed that Southern Sudan should get 50% of the oil revenue emanating from the Southern Sudan and 42% of the oil resources found in Abyei Area. To date the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) has never received any single dollar from the oil revenues from Abyei. Furthermore there has been no transparency over the amount of oil resources and the cash value of the oil got and sold from Southern Sudan. Financial remittances to the GOSS have always been on the decline from $100 million per month to $60 million per month and finally to $40 million per month. How will GOSS sustain its administration in the face of this sharp financial decline? -- The integration of Southern Sudanese Civil Servants into the Government of National Unity: -------------- -- The building of one nation requires the integration of the workforce from the Southern and Northern parts of the country into one Civil service to run the Government of National Unity (GONU). Surprisingly the 20-30% of administrative posts supposed to be filled by qualified cadres from Southern Sudan has not been made available. Considering the above mentioned bottlenecks in the implementation of the CPA our parliament feels that it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that war is averted by appealing to both NCP and SPLM to abide by the provisions of the CPA. The Assembly is hereby urging IGAD, IPF, AU, UN, League of Arab States to bring pressure to bear on the implementers of CPA to adhere on the same and work hard to keep to the implementation schedule. We appreciate the recent steps taken to resolve some of the outstanding issues mentioned in foregoing paragraphs. urge both sides not to renegotiate the CPA, but to implement all its protocols according to the their schedules. We are also deeply concerned about the deplorable conditions affecting the people of Darfur and the ongoing civil war in that region. We urge all stakeholders to the peace in the Sudan to quickly find a peaceful means to redress this conflict. Please accept assurances of our highest regards, Hon. Lt.Gen. James Wani Igga Speaker - Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly Juba. Cc: H. E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit First Vice President of the Republic of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan. END TEXT OF LETTER TO POTUS FERNANDEZ