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Sudan Expert Welcomes Khartoum's Referendum Pledge to Senator Kerry

   Fouad  Hikmat  of  the  International Crisis Group says the problem of
   Abyei  and  border  demarcation  remains an obstacle to the referendum
   process

   James Butty | Washington, D.C. 25 October 2010

   The  International Crisis Groupās Special Advisor on the African Union
   and  Sudan told VOA he welcomes U.S. Senator John Kerryās announcement
   Sunday  that  the Sudan government has assured him it will respect the
   results of January's independence referendum for southern Sudan.

   US Senator John Kerry

   Democrat  John  Kerry, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
   wrapped up a three day visit to Sudan Sunday.

   He  said  the  Khartoum  government has put its commitment to hold the
   January 9 referendum in writing.

   International Crisis Groupās Fouad Hikmat said Khartoumās assurance to
   Senator Kerry is a positive development

   āI  think  it  is  very  good  news, and this maybe a reiteration from
   President  Bashir  what  he  just recently said to the Sudanese people
   through  his  speech to the national assembly that he is going to work
   very hard to make sure that the referendum is going to be on time, and
   that  the government is going to respect the results of the referendum
   provided  that it is done in a transparent, free and accurate way,ā he
   said.

   However,  Hikmat  said  despite  Khartoumās assurance to Senator Kerry
   thereās still the problem of Abyei and demarcation of the borders.

   āThe government is saying that in order to do the referendum there has
   to  be  due  course  in  terms  of implementing what is the law of the
   referendum,  and  at  the  same  time  make  sure that the borders are
   demarcated,  and the problem of Abyei is resolved. And it doesnāt mean
   that  the assurance that is being given to John Kerry means that these
   issues  are  going  to be resolved as soon as possible. But if it does
   then this is a very good step,ā Hikmat said.

   He   said  Abyei  remains  the  wild  card  in  the  whole  referendum
   discussion.

   āIt  is  a  wild  card in the sense that if the two parties (north and
   south) agree in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in the coming days to have like
   a  sort  of  a  breakthrough  on  Abyei  without the acceptance of the
   Missirya  or  without the acceptance of the Ngog Dinka who are part of
   the  nine chiefdoms which is the subject of the Abyei issue, that will
   be  problematic because I donāt think it will be easy for the National
   Congress  Party  to push the Missirya to accept a deal that they donāt
   accept as a tribe,ā Hikmat said.

   Senator  Kerry  warned last week of tougher US sanctions against Sudan
   if  the  governments of north and south Sudan put obstacles in the way
   of the referendum.

   Hikmat said Khartoum still values its relationship with Washington.

   āI  think  the Sudanese government and particularly the north, they do
   think  very carefully about their relationship with the United States.
   And they want that this (relationship) to be fixed; they want Sudan to
   be  lifted  from  the sanctions list, from the terrorist list, and for
   America  to  help  Sudan  to  have  access  to  the  IFI  which is the
   International  Financial  Institution, and the issue of the debt to be
   relief,ā Hikmat said.

   He   said   Khartoum   would   also  like  Washingtonās  help  in  the
   International  Criminal  Courtās arrest warrant against President Omar
   al-Bashir for war crimes allegedly committed in Sudanās Western Darfur
   region.

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