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Ruling Party Official Seeks U.S. Help to Maintain Sudanâs Unity

   Peter Clottey 23 September 2010

Photo: state.gov

   Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with former President of
   South  Africa Thabo Mbeki, Chairperson of the African Union High-level
   Implementation Panel on Sudan, and Haile Menkerios, the United Nations
   Special  Representative for the Secretary General to Sudan, to discuss
   the current status of Sudanâs Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

   A  leading member of Sudanâs ruling National Congress Party (NCP) said
   his  party  expects  the United States to encourage the Sudan Peopleâs
   Liberation  Movement (SPLM) to work toward the countryâs unity instead
   of secession.

   Rabie  Abdelati  Obeid  told  VOA  several  officials of the SPLM have
   recently  voiced  their  support  for south Sudanâs secession which he
   said  violates  the  stipulations  of  the  2005  Comprehensive  Peace
   Agreement (CPA).

   âThe  expectation  of  the  NCP  is (that) the American administration
   should  push  forward  the  implementation of the CPA, especially, and
   particularly,  that  item  which  was  agreed  upon  between  the  two
   partners,  the  National  Congress Party and SPLM to achieve unity and
   not  to  secession  according  to  what  was stated by the Ministry of
   Foreign Affairs of the United States of America (State Department).â

   Obeidâs  comments  came  after  U.S  Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
   warned  a  successful  9^th  January referendum in south Sudan will be
   difficult  adding  the  situation  is âa ticking time-bomb of enormous
   consequence.â   Clinton  also  said  that  south Sudanâs secession is
   âinevitable.â

Obeid

   Dr.  Rabie  Abdelati  Obeid  is a prominent member of Sudan's dominant
   National Congress Party (NCP)

   As  part of the CPA, residents of the semi-autonomous south Sudan will
   vote  in a referendum that will determine whether they want to be part
   of Sudan or secede.

   Some officials of the SPLM have criticized the NCP for undermining the
   efforts of the referendum commission preparing for the January vote.

   But,  Obeid  said  the  SPLM  has failed to demonstrate its commitment
   toward the countryâs unity.

   âSome  months  back, some of the SPLM leaders (have) not been speaking
   for  unity,  but  they are calling for secession, which is against the
   CPA  and  against  that  agreement  signed  by  the  two  partners and
   witnessed by the international and regional community.â

   Both the SPLM and the NCP are scheduled to hold discussions to resolve
   all  outstanding  issues  related  to  the referendum at a special U.N
   high-level summit on Sudan Friday.

   Obeid  also said it was important for the United States not to send âa
   wrong  signalâ  at the summit, which he said will undermine Khartoumâs
   âeffort of unifying Sudan.â

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