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Next three years of Sudan peace 'critical': British FM
Khartoum (AFP) July 9, 2008 British Foreign Minister David Miliband said Wednesday that the next three years of implementing the accord ending Sudan's civil war were "absolutely critical", as the six-year deal marked its mid-term. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by north and south Sudan in 2005 kicked off a six-month interim period followed by a six-year transition period whose half-way point was marked on Wednesday. "The next three years are absolutely critical in following through on the landmark CPA agreement," Miliband told reporters after talks with Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir in Khartoum. Miliband said that discussions on the CPA, which in May suffered its greatest challenge when fighting between the two sides devastated the town of Abyei in the heart of a contested oil district, had been top of his agenda. The commission charged with monitoring the deal unveiled its mid-term report citing Abyei, preparations for elections in 2009 and referendums in 2011, demarcation of borders and security reform as the most urgent priorities. "Rapid progress on outstanding issues, first and foremost on the Abyei roadmap and on the border, is now vital to sustaining momentum in the CPA," said the report released by the monitors' chairman, Britain's Derek Plumbly. The Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) praised the CPA for its success in keeping the peace but cited concern over the perceived absence of a peace dividend, delays, and partial or non-implementation on various issues. It made recommendations to advance implementation and make unity attractive in the approach to a referendum on self-determination in southern Sudan in 2011 at the end of the CPA timetable. "Successful free and fair elections will be a key element in making unity attractive and in ensuring wider ownership of the peace process. "The inter-locking preparatory work for the elections is lagging seriously behind schedule and new impetus is badly needed," it advised. Fighting in Abyei, where the AEC helped to negotiate a roadmap agreement on how to restore security and appoint an interim administration, was a "very sharp reminder of the continuing risk of resumed conflict," the report said. The AEC, whose creation was stipulated in the CPA, includes foreign and Sudanese officials who were involved in the peace negotiations. "We want to see all elements of the AEC report followed through in a clear way," Miliband told reporters. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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