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Unresolved Issues Will Render Referendum 'Illegimate' Warns Sudan Party
Official

   Peter Clottey 29 December 2010
   Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Khartoum, 20 Dec 2010

Photo: REUTERS

   Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Khartoum, 20 Dec 2010

   A  senior  member  of  Sudanâs governing National Congress Party (NCP)
   said failure to resolve all outstanding issues before the 9^th January
   referendum  will  render  the  outcome  of  the  vote,  in  his  word,
   âillegitimate,â if southern Sudanese choose secession over unity.

   Rabie  Abdelati  Obeid told VOA a decision by southerners to choose to
   become  independent  rather  than  be  part  of the north will only be
   âpolitical secessionâ and would not have any impact on the ground.

   âAccording to the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) and according to
   the  Referendum  Act, the steps pre-referendum should be performed and
   agreed  upon  by  the  two  partners,  (but)  these were not done. The
   post-arrangement  has  also not been completed like the demarcation of
   borders and the Abyei problem and how to share the (oil) wealth,â said
   Obeid.

   âThis  is  very important because, if there is secession, what will be
   the  basis?  What  is  the  border of the new state? How will this new
   state  run the country without (any) income? And there are still a lot
   of  conflicts  in  the south. This will create a lot of trouble in the
   area and disturbances to the new state.â

   Obeid  also  accused  the Sudan Peopleâs Liberation Movement (SPLM) of
   âdeliberatelyâ  stalling  negotiations  aimed at resolving outstanding
   issues in the run-up to the referendum.

   But,  supporters  of  the  SPLM  have  accused  the  NCP  of violating
   provisions   of  the  CPA  and  undermining  efforts  to  resolve  the
   outstanding   issues  such  as  border  demarcation  and  the  dispute
   surrounding the oil-rich Abyei region.

   Obeid  said the SPLM violated provisions of the CPA by signing what he
   described as confidential agreements with the U.S. government. He said
   the  referendum  is  not  going  to  be held on what he calls a âsolid
   foundation,â which he said will undermine its credibility.

   âThe  Referendum Act stipulated that all these steps should be carried
   out  before  (the)  referendum  so  that,  whenever  the referendum is
   conducted  and  the results (come out), then both north and south will
   view this result positively. But, if all these steps are not made, how
   will we deal with this condition?â asked Obeid.

   âThat  is  why  I think, if secession is the result of the referendum,
   this  secession  will (only) be a political secession. It will have no
   effect on the ground.â

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