Naivasha Partners Welcome Peaceful Elections Performance

(SV)
National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudanese Peoples'  Liberation Movement (SPLM)  affirmed the importance of the  implementation of  the remaining issues of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement  (CPA) 
as soon as possible as well as the importance of the formation of the  two commissions  of the referendum and Abyei in the next few days.
The CPA partners said in the meeting which included the American Special Envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, the Assessment and Evaluation Commission chief, Sir Derek Plumbly and international envoys of the stage the discussions had reached regarding the steps being currently taken to form the referendum and Abyei commissions and the Kurdofan and the Blue Nile Popular consultations as well as the steps that have so far been taken in connection to demarcation of the south/ north borders.
The American envoy affirmed on the necessity of continuing the democratic transformation without which the outstanding issues cannot be implemented nor can Darfur problem be resolved.  The meeting discussed the post referendum arrangements confirming that what has been achieved was wonderful.
NCP member Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Khalifa told Sudan Vision the meeting confirmed its readiness to provide technical and any other possible assistance required for the implementation of the outstanding items of the CPA pointing out that the two partners would fully cooperate to enable southerners to freely vote for what they prefer: unity or secession. Dr. Al Khalifa further noted that the issue is very important that is why it needs the cooperation of the two partners as well as the cooperation of friends.
On his part, the Assessment and Evaluation Commission Chief said the meeting welcomed the peaceful elections performance. He pointed out that the dialogue on the outstanding items was frank. The meeting focused on the things that need to be done to make a success of the steps that would lead to the democratic transition in 2011 no matter what the outcome of the referendum would be. The Assessment and Evaluation Commission Chief affirmed that the peace partners are looking forward to carrying out of the understanding reached by the two partners regarding the increase in the number of seats for the south, South Kordofan and Abyei in the Parliament.  The meeting also welcomed the broadening of the political horizons  which was a natural result of the democratic and transparent elections the Sudan had witnessed and which provide administrative procedural , logistics lessons for other to learn.
The US Special Envoy Scott Gration, met with the Foreign Minister Deng Alor where they discussed the arrangements of the referendum that will be conducted in January 2011.
Gration said, in press statements, that he hailed the efforts exerted by both partners within the last days expressing his hope that they reach an agreement on the referendum issues before the scheduled date.
On his part, Alor said that the meeting of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission is very important as it came after the elections and entering the referendum stage of the South and Abyei area.
He said that the meeting discussed the issue of the borders between the south and the north explaining that the two partners agreed on more than 80% of the issue. He further pointed out that there are still 4-5 points are not settled and will be settled in the next presidency meeting.
Alor said that the meeting of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission agreed on the commission of the South referendum while the commission of Abyei will be discussed in the next presidency meeting indicating that the two partners agreed to start the demarcation on the ground to the Abyei boundary according to the Arbitration Court Dispute in The Hague, saying that the NCP-SPLM have of agreed on the implementation of the remaining issues.
Alor said that the referendum is not like elections, he added that time is not enough for any political maneuvers and conflicts.
On the coming government, Alor said that a committee was formed from the two partners to discuss portfolios affirming that they will agree on that.
On the statements of Gration with regard to the elections, in which he said that the United States accepted the elections with its flaws in order to separate the south, Alor said "Scott Gration says the United States and the international community have to build the capacity and infrastructure of the South in case of separation" wondering why the American do not talk the secession saying "We as Sudanese have a proposal to discuss several issues of the South after the secession, such as the sharing of wealth, citizenship, assets and debt, indicating that all these issues we are talking about is not in the framework of unified image of the Sudan" pointing out  the statements of Gration are in the context.

UN chief remains confident Darfur talks would resume soon
(ST)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed today confidence that the peace process in Doha to end Darfur conflict would resume soon describing JEM decision as "temporary".
“We understand that the JEM spokesperson has made remarks about suspending its participation in the Doha talks. We also understand that this is temporary, pending resolution of key issues, and have confidence that the talks will continue,” a spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters in New York.
Yesterday speaking to Sudan Tribune Ahmed Hussein Ahmed, JEM official spokesperson sailed Khartoum seeks to weaken his groups militarily before to resume peace talks on May 15.
But the Sudanese denied the attacks and reiterated its commitment to 23 February deal. The Army spokesperson even said these clashes may be occurred between JEM elements on the grounds.


Director of Malakal Prison Service appeals to NGOs and UNDP to alleviate dire prison conditions
(Mirayafm)
An appeal to improve the dire conditions in Malakal jails has been issued by the Director of Malakal Prison Service in Upper Nile State, Bol Choul.  Speaking to Radio Miraya, Choul requested assistance from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) , adding that prisoners are citizens and need good care.
He added that prisoners have human rights and should not live in deplorable conditions simply because they are incarcerated.  Prisoners in Malakal jails, Choul stated, do not have proper nutrient, lack clean drinking water and have no access to adequate medical care.
The Director of Malakal's Prison Service further called on the state and other southern governments to provide immediate assistance.

Security in Warrab State's Tonj South deteriorates as attacks continue
(Mirayafm)
Attacks by unknown gunmen in Tonj East and Tonj South counties in Warrab State on Tuesday have left a trail of casualties in its wake. Commissioner of Tonj South, Deng Alieu Ayang, told Radio Miraya that the state's security situation is deteriorating, adding that the exact number of casualties cannot be determined as fighting is still ongoing.
A slew of dead goats and cows litter the areas, the Commissioner added. Ayang further said that gun shots are still being heard and dead bodies continue to be uncovered in the surrounding area.


Sudan Central Bank Aims at Lower Inflation, Mulls SDG Peg to USD
(Reuters)
MANAMA - Sudan's Central Bank aims to bring inflation back to single digits, using a tighter monetary policy and dropping its peg to the dollar in favor of a currency basket in the last quarter of 2010, its governor said.
The price spike is a concern in Africa's largest country, which is trying to move away from its dependency on oil exports and faces a referendum that could lead to a split off of the largely autonomous south.
Governor Sabir Mohammad al-Hassan told Reuters in an interview late on Monday that the bank wanted to bring annual inflation to 7-9 percent, from around 12 percent in April.
"Our economy is in a stage of development, we have a lot of rigidities so we do not really target a very low level of inflation," Hassan said in Bahrain, where he was attending a finance conference. "Unfortunately, it is a bit higher than what we want to see now."
“Prices rose due to a mix of imported inflation, fuelled by a weaker currency, and expansionary monetary policy to counter the effects of the global downturn,” he said.
“The central bank was now trying to reverse its stance as the exchange rate stabilized,” he added.
"We work on all fronts, we are tightening monetary policy," he said. "Besides monetary policy we are also trying to make sure that the fiscal policy is also supportive. Government access to bank financing should be minimal if not zero."
Sudan's financial system is largely based on Islamic law, which makes the central bank use a range of tools such as instruments   for interest rates, Islamic bonds, open market operations and deposits in commercial banks to conduct its monetary policy.
Hassan said the central bank was working on a plan to replace the Sudanese pound link to the dollar with a basket of currencies of its main trading partners.
This, he hopes will help contain inflation as the currency has a large impact on prices.
When asked about the timing of the change he said: "Towards the end of the year, the last quarter more probably."
He expected the dollar to have the biggest weight in the basket of not less than 50 percent, while the Euro, the British pound, and Asian currencies such as China's Yuan were also being considered.
Sudan runs a so-called managed float system where the central bank calculates an indicative rate based on previous day transactions and intervenes on the market if quotes break away from a plus/minus 3 percent corridor around that rate.
Hassan also said both north and south would have to keep the pound for some time if the referendum, planned for early next year, results in secession of the oil-producing southern part.
"The necessary logistics require a minimum period of six months to one year because it is not easy to issue a new currency," Hassan said.
Sudan's referendum is following a 2005 peace deal that ended two decades of north-south civil war, which badly damaged its economy. The deal brought in foreign investors and powered the economy to growth rates averaging 9 percent a year.
Analysts have warned conflict could flare up again if preparations for the plebiscite falter.
The governor also said the country should aim to resolve its $34 billion foreign debt ahead of the vote to smooth the possible separation.
Sudan, which is under U.S. trade embargo, should see its mainly agriculture-based economy expanding by 6 percent this year, Hassan said, after growth slowed below 5 percent in 2009 due to poor harvest and the global crisis.

Partnership between Secession and Pending Files
(Opinion)
As the Sudanese elections chapter was folded the priorities jumped to the political arena. There are several very difficult files to be dealt with before the referendum which will be conducted after only seven months.
The CPA partners will be facing the most difficult test in the history of modern Sudan.
The referendum process will negatively affect the aspirations of the Sudanese people in the north and the south as all the implementation of the projects will stop pending the result of the referendum being in favour of unity or otherwise.
There are 12 pending issues that require special arrangements to be agreed upon as resolutions before and after the referendum.
The two partners must work hard to overcome those pending issues to avoid any crisis after the referendum.
However, the international community is concerned about the hasty secession, considering that the Sudanese government depends 90% in its general budget on oil revenues.
The crucial pending files contain essential issues on top of which are the border areas with its high population and rich resources.
The population in the border area represents one of the crucial issues to be discussed as we find the citizens in South Kordufan and Unity States living in harmony through hundreds of years, and the same apply to citizens in Blue Nile and Upper Nile States, then also Warrap and Abyei.
These areas include tribes who have witnessed intermarriages and have their bilateral commercial and other life relations, so dealing with such issue needs wisdom and reasonability.
Then we come to the issue of the institutions working in the border areas and how to divide their assets in case of separation.
Then we have the external debts, international agreements and commitments which also need a special kind of mechanism to deal with.
Accordingly, the two partners should establish a joint mechanism to negotiate all the issues many of which we have mentioned in this editorial.
The joint mechanism should come out with a clear cut programme between the two partners to avoid the anticipated time bombs.
It goes without saying that Sudan is one of the key states in Africa towards the Arab nation and because of that it requires the concern of the international community, especially after the issue of referendum came into surface.
The hasty separation of the South will lead the area to several conflicts and instability.
Time is running short and the two partners should jointly work hard for the sake of maintaining the unity of the country to avoid the anticipated dangerous consequences of secession.
It is the role of the two leaders Al Bashir and Salva Kiir to transform their words which came in favour of unity into actions to make unity attractive, and both leaders should consider that the benefits of unity is much more than the advantages of secession.