Kamaavi Posted November 8, 2010 Sudan's president, in Qatar for a state visit, describes confederation plan as "not under consideration at the moment". Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, has said that speculation about what will take place in the wake of the January referendum on the fate of south Sudan is premature. Al-Bashir said that the Egyptian proposal for confederation between north and south Sudan was not under consideration at the moment. He arrived in Qatar over the weekend for talks with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of the Gulf state. "This issue is not for discussion at the moment because the agreement is about referendum for either unity or separation," al-Bashir said. "Our brothers in the south are refusing at the moment the proposal of confederation. "If the separation was the result of the referendum, the two sides are going to negotiate over the future of relations between them." Disputed borders Plans for the referendum have been dogged by disagreements, in particular on the demarcation of the proposed border between north and south, the status of the disputed Abyei region, and security issues. Diplomats from the UN and the African Union (AU) have announced that there will be months of "intensive" talks starting with a five-day meeting in Khartoum that began on Sunday, aimed at reaching consensus over the contested oil-rich region of Abyei. The UN has 10,000 peacekeepers stationed in Sudan, not counting its joint mission with the AU in the western province of Darfur. Most of the UN troops are in the south and in three former civil war battle ground areas along the border. More than 2 million people died during the two-decade long war between Sudan's north and south. The January 9 referendum is part of a 2005 peace deal that ended a two-decade-old civil war in Sudan, which left an estimated two million people dead. Source: Al Jazeera Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xiinfaniin Posted November 8, 2010 Al Bashir has vastly miscalculated the terms of his prior agreement with John G. He trusted the fate of Sudan’s territorial integrity with John’s political convictions and leadership’s skills. John, it was said, was a unionist leader who only wanted to secure the rights of the people in the south and chart toward an elevated political role for them. He died (or assassinated if you believe the rumors of the circumstances surrounding his death) and so did Al Bashir’s political scheme to hold Sudan together. A new leader took over, and he proved to be very serious in the separation of Sudan. He got the diplomatic muscle behind him…and he has the votes on the ground. Al Bashir is now reduced to fight on the margins of this historic battle …he is now talking about where the eventual border will run. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kamaavi Posted November 8, 2010 That was a lost chance indeed. But the breakup of Sudan began many years ago and now demands the very best diplomatic efforts to achieve a successful division in 2011. The Sudan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria suffer from the same failures of colonial powers that mainly sought to extract wealth from the continent while forcing distinct nations into states without consent. The chance for consent now sits on the horizon for the peoples of Sudan's south. This stage will not be the end, but the beginning of a new trial. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacaylbaro Posted November 9, 2010 He arrived in Qatar over the weekend for talks with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of the Gulf state. "This issue is not for discussion at the moment because the agreement is about referendum for either unity or separation," al-Bashir said. Egyptians and their silly proposals .... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kamaavi Posted November 15, 2010 Sudan president performing Haj By ARAB NEWS Published: Nov 14, 2010 23:58 Updated: Nov 14, 2010 23:58 RIYADH: Sudanese President Omar Bashir has arrived in the holy city of Makkah to perform Haj, said a Sudanese diplomat on Sunday. Bashir, whose duration of stay in the Kingdom after Haj was not confirmed, is on the pilgrimage with a small team of officials and diplomats. Referring to the support given by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, a report published recently said that the GCC has called on the Sudanese people to cooperate constructively to create an adequate atmosphere for the upcoming public referendum that would determine destiny of natives of southern Sudan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kamaavi Posted November 29, 2010 Igad talks fail to unlock south Sudan referendum stalemate Read Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
