Tue, 23 Nov 2010
Nairobi/Addis Ababa (Earth Times - dpa) - Regional heads of state made little progress in resolving outstanding issues related to an upcoming crucial independence vote for Southern Sudan during a summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa Tuesday.
The autonomous Southern Sudan is set to vote on breaking away from the north in early January - a referendum enshrined in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended decades of civil war between the Muslim north and Christian and Animist south.
Heads of state from regional grouping, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), meeting behind closed doors, pushed Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and Southern Sudan leader Salva Kiir to resolve their differences.
In a communique released at the end of the meeting, IGAD said both sides were dedicated to resolving the outstanding issues, particularly a dispute over the oil-rich Abyei region, which sits on the border between north and south.
"It would be particularly useful if consensus on the Abyei Protocol is achieved prior to the referenda as this would go a long way in fostering an environment of peace and harmony for the local communities," Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, who is the chair of the IGAD sub-committee on Sudan, told the assembled leaders.
With the referendum - in which the south is almost certain to vote for independence - fast approaching, analysts say sorting out long- standing issues such as Abyei and border disputes is crucial to avoid a return to conflict.
The meeting was originally due to take place in Kenya, but was moved after the International Criminal Court asked Kenya to arrest al-Bashir.
Kenya, a signatory to the Rome Statue that established the ICC, caused uproar earlier in the year when it failed to arrest al-Bashir during a visit to the capital Nairobi.
Ethiopia does not recognize the ICC, and is therefore under no obligation to arrest Sudan's leader.
Al-Bashir is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly carried out during years of conflict in the restive Sudanese province of Darfur.
The heads of state - including the leaders of Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia - also discussed Somalia, where Islamist insurgents are pushing to oust the weak Western-backed government.
IGAD criticized Somalia's government for infighting and the United Nations for failing to respond to a request for support in boosting the numbers of the African Union peacekeeping force operating in Somalia.
Nairobi/Addis Ababa (Earth Times - dpa) - Regional heads of state made little progress in resolving outstanding issues related to an upcoming crucial independence vote for Southern Sudan during a summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa Tuesday.
The autonomous Southern Sudan is set to vote on breaking away from the north in early January - a referendum enshrined in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended decades of civil war between the Muslim north and Christian and Animist south.
Heads of state from regional grouping, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), meeting behind closed doors, pushed Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and Southern Sudan leader Salva Kiir to resolve their differences.
In a communique released at the end of the meeting, IGAD said both sides were dedicated to resolving the outstanding issues, particularly a dispute over the oil-rich Abyei region, which sits on the border between north and south.
"It would be particularly useful if consensus on the Abyei Protocol is achieved prior to the referenda as this would go a long way in fostering an environment of peace and harmony for the local communities," Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, who is the chair of the IGAD sub-committee on Sudan, told the assembled leaders.
With the referendum - in which the south is almost certain to vote for independence - fast approaching, analysts say sorting out long- standing issues such as Abyei and border disputes is crucial to avoid a return to conflict.
The meeting was originally due to take place in Kenya, but was moved after the International Criminal Court asked Kenya to arrest al-Bashir.
Kenya, a signatory to the Rome Statue that established the ICC, caused uproar earlier in the year when it failed to arrest al-Bashir during a visit to the capital Nairobi.
Ethiopia does not recognize the ICC, and is therefore under no obligation to arrest Sudan's leader.
Al-Bashir is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly carried out during years of conflict in the restive Sudanese province of Darfur.
The heads of state - including the leaders of Djibouti, Uganda and Ethiopia - also discussed Somalia, where Islamist insurgents are pushing to oust the weak Western-backed government.
IGAD criticized Somalia's government for infighting and the United Nations for failing to respond to a request for support in boosting the numbers of the African Union peacekeeping force operating in Somalia.
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