STATEMENT OF THE ACTING SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 000437

SIPDIS

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TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO AU UN US SU EAID PINS MARR PHUM

SUBJECT: STATEMENT OF THE ACTING SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR SUDAN TO THE SUDAN CONSORTIUM Khartoum, 20

SIPDIS
March 2007


1. (SBU) Following is the text of remarks given by Acting Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan Mr. Taye
Brooke-Zerihoun to the Sudan Consortium on March 20, 2007. Further
consortium reporting will follow septel.

(Begin Text)

Mr. Chairman, Honourable Ministers and Delegates. Ladies and
Gentlemen,

Thank you for the invitation to update this important meeting on
progress in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
since this Consortium last convened a year ago.

Since then, much of the spotlight of international attention, and
indeed the attention of many of us, has focused on events in Darfur
- and for good reason. The UN Mission in Sudan has devoted
substantial resources to supporting the political process for peace
in Darfur, delivering and/or planning the first two phases of UN
support to AMIS - the Light and Heavy Support Packages - as well as
planning with the African Union for the transition to a hybrid
peacekeeping operation. But it needs to be stressed that these
efforts make sense only if they are undertaken in the context of a
meaningful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The
CPA remains the bedrock for sustainable peace in Sudan. We must
invest in it, and urge the Parties to do likewise. Only then will
Sudan be able to return to peace and realize the tremendous
Potential of its people.

The CPA is not simply a bilateral power-sharing deal. It provides
for constitutional reform, for new national institutions that
respect human rights and the diversity of Sudan's people. It
provides for decentralization of government and fiscal reform, to
help ensure communities benefit from their own resources and combat
the tensions between centre and periphery that have often been at
the root of instability and conflict in the country. The CPA calls
for reconciliation between peoples, and for the parties to work in
good faith to address the outstanding differences between them. This
complex Agreement, which put an end to one of the longest and
bloodiest conflicts in Africa, needs and deserves the sustained
attention and support of the international community more than ever
before.

Mr. Chairman, a little over two months ago, on 9 January, we marked
the second anniversary of the signing of the CPA. Although progress
continues to be made in implementation of the Agreement, there is
wide-spread concern that the "spirit of Naivasha" has been largely
absent. For the most part., the Parties have co-operated in those
areas of implementation that shore up their respective positions.
But there remains profound mistrust between them as was publicly
aired in Juba on 9 January.

Some of the progress made in CPA implementation is noteworthy. On
the power-sharing agenda, almost all of the commissions provided for
in the Agreement have now been established. In October, the National
Constitutional Review Commission was revitalized, with a mandate to
prepare the legal instruments necessary to give effect to the CPA.
The National Assembly has approved some important
legislation, including the law establishing the Civil Service
Commission to help increase representation of Southern Sudanese in
national institutions.

Equally, there has been progress on wealth-sharing. On 9 January,
the two Central Banks jointly launched a new currency, the Sudanese
pound, in line with the requirements of the CPA. After long delays,
the National Petroleum has agreed on its rules of procedure,
although it has yet to convene officially. On the other hand, the
Commission responsible for overseeing transparent fiscal transfers
to the state level the Fiscal and Financial Allocation and
Monitoring Commission - has begun its work.

On the security agenda, the conventional cease-fire has been
respected by the parties except for the serious clashes in Malakal
in November last year, which were unprecedented in intensity since
the signing of the CPA. There have also been localized and sporadic
acts of violence, often attributed to the indiscipline of soldiers
or militia. In all cases, the Cease-fire Joint Military Committee
and its network of Area Cease-fire Committees have succeeded in
preventing escalation of security incidents. Redeployment of the
Sudanese Armed Forces from Southern Sudan is also making good
progress, and completion of the redeployment by 9 July this year
will be an important milestone.

However, peace is not simply the absence of conflict. It is much,
much more. The apparent mistrust between the Parties has implied a

KHARTOUM 00000437 002 OF 003


lack of commitment to genuine partnership and to the qualitative
objectives of the CPA: political inclusion, democratic governance
and protection of human rights. It has also constrained the
effective functioning of seminal institutions like the Assessment
and Evaluation Commission (AEC) and the Ceasefire Political
Commission, among others.

Progress on the security protocol has suffered as well. The
formation of Joint integrated Units is behind schedule. Although the
parties have recently agreed on a common doctrine, most JID units on
the ground are at best co-located but not yet integrated. Other
Armed Groups continue to exist long after the deadline for their
integration into one or the other party or their disbandment.
Moreover, some OAGs are still switching allegiance, perpetuating
instability and insecurity, and fuelling suspicion about proxy
forces.

Two years after the signing of the CPA, Abyei, Southern Kordofan and
Blue Nile have not received the attention they deserve. There is
still no agreement on an interim administration for Abyei or on its
boundary. Demarcation of the North-South border, itself is behind
schedule, although the responsible Committee has recently made some
progress in its activities. The situation is further complicated by
worrying reports of increasing militarization in the Abyei area,
even while both parties continue to restrict the movement of UN MIS
and its ability to monitor the cease-fire zone.

In Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, although both states now have a
constitution and an executive, there has been little progress
towards delivering the integrated administration and reconstruction
assistance envisaged in the CPA. A number of civil disturbances in
recent months reflect the frustration of the people of those areas.
It is vital for all of us, and the parties in particular, to pay
more attention to those areas and consider how best we can
contribute to their stability.

UNMIS continues to support the CPA in all its aspects, including
through monitoring of the cease-fire, and through participation in
key commissions, notably the Ceasefire Political Commission. The
mission also provides technical support in the areas of disarmament
and demobilization, police development, rule of law, human rights,
refugee and IDP returns, and local reconciliation, as well in the
wider dissemination and popularization of the CPA.

Two years after the signing of the CPA, public expectations for
greater stability, improved services, and enhanced livelihood
opportunities, remain high. The delivery of these and other peace
dividends requires a significant commitment on the part of the
Parties, and the sustained support of the international community.
In this regard, donor support is critical, and the contribution of
this Consortium is of the utmost importance.

Notwithstanding these problems and challenges, the achievements made
so far in Southern Sudan are encouraging. Economic development has
accelerated as movement of people increases and trade routes
re-open. Through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (South),UN agencies
have finalized arrangements to support government capacity building,
judicial reform, water and sanitation, infrastructure development,
livestock and the census in Southern Sudan, and more projects are in
the pipeline. The slow process of design, approval, appraisal and
preparation of grant agreements required for the projects funded
under the MDTF current arrangements indicate a compelling need to
introduce a more flexible mechanism in the MDTF to respond to urgent
recovery and development needs. The agreed concept of two windows in
future trust fund arrangements for Darfur should help us move faster
to economic development in Southern Sudan, Southern Kordofan, Blue
Nile and in the East as well.

Two years ago, the active engagement of many states represented here
helped to bring about the signing of the CPA. The commitment of
donors to support peace through well-targeted development and
reconstruction assistance is a key provision in the Agreement.
Today, that same level of engagement is more crucial than ever.

Let me conclude by sketching some priorities for the balance of this
year. First, 2007 will mostly be the year of the security protocol.
We must see Joint Integrated Units full)' formed and redeployment
completed. DDR programming must get off the ground in earnest and
donors' contributions to this effort will be critical.

Second, there must be further progress on implementing the CPA in
key areas, including agreement on an administration for Abyei, and
development of integrated services and equitable development for
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.


KHARTOUM 00000437 003 OF 003


Third, we will need to begin to focus this year on the preparations
for elections in 2009. Free and fair elections do not begin at the
ballot box. A political environment that realizes the general
principles of the CPA and the Interim Constitution must be created.
Also, technical preparations including for a national census and a
voter registration process would need to be accelerated.
International support to these preparations is of vital importance,
including through technical assistance to the Electoral Commission
and capacity-building for political parties who must re-engage with
their constituencies and develop programmes that reflect the needs
of the people.

We all very much hope that the conflict in Darfur will find a
political solution this year. Peace in Sudan is indivisible. The
next steps towards implementation of the CPA, including the holding
of elections in 2009, would be greatly influenced by the political
stability and security of the whole country. That is why the joint
UN/AU initiative to re-energize the political process and bring
non-signatories on board is so important and deserving of the full
cooperation and support of all stakeholders.

The CPA is the only vehicle for achieving the ambitious goals set by
the Parties at Naivasha to bring about long-term peace, stability
and sustainable development for all the people of Sudan. We must
recognize and credit the Parties for continuing to declare their
commitment to the Agreement and its principles, even when - more
often than not - the road ahead looks pot-holed and perilous.

We must therefore not relent from urging the Parties to adhere to
their commitments, and should continue to work with them to
facilitate the full and timely implementation of the CPA. Sudan's
immediate neighbours and the wider international community have a
critical role to play and contribution to make in supporting the
Parties efforts on post-conflict reconstruction. The UN Mission and
the wider UN family in Sudan are prepared to cooperate with and
support the efforts of this Consortium in our shared objective to
help Sudan realize the tangible benefits of peace, stability and
development.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

(End Text)

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