UN Security Council's British presidency aims at Sudan peace - Summary

Tue, 02 Nov 2010

New York - The British government said Tuesday its presidency of the UN Security Council will focus on timely completion of two polls that will decide the fate of the peace agreement between north and south Sudan.

The 15-nation council will hold an open debate on November 16 on the situation of Sudan, to be presided over by British Foreign Secretary William Hague. London said that Sudan is its "highest priority" as it took over the rotating presidency of the council this month.

"We will use our presidency to push for timely completion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, give support to the efforts of President (Thabo) Mbeki and the African Union," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

"We will maintain the Security Council's focus on Darfur and reinforce the importance of lasting and inclusive peace settlement for the Darfuri people," it said.

The British ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant, told reporters the debate will involve UN, Sudanese and other African diplomats.

"We believe it critical that the Security Council maintains very close focus on Sudan," Grant said. He led a council delegation that visited Africa's Great Lakes region last month.

"The council attaches great importance that the referenda be held in a timely and peaceful fashion, and that the outcomes are respected by all parties," Grant said.

London said it is working with donors and Sudanese parties to make "urgent progress on preparations" for the referenda and is providing 10 million British pounds (16 million dollars) to support the vote.

London is also providing 100 million pounds to support the UN mission in Sudan and the UN-African Union peacekeeping operations in Darfur.

Concerns have increased over whether the referenda would be held on January 9 because of the enormous task of setting in motion the preparations, and because of the lack of funding and referendum workers. Khartoum is opposed to the breakaway of Southern Sudan, which holds sizable oil reserves.

Southern Sudan is scheduled to hold the self-determination referendum on January 9 and a second vote will allow inhabitants in the oil-rich Abyei border region between Southern Sudan and north Sudan to decide to join the south or north.

The peace agreement in 2005 ended decades of conflict between north and south Sudan by binding the two sides in a power-sharing government in Khartoum. The agreement called for a referendum in 2011 to let the south decide its own political arrangement.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351559,sudan-peace-summary.html.