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Hillary Clinton discloses how she convinced Kiir to resolve Sudan oil dispute

June 11, 2014 (WASHINGTON) – Former United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton has disclosed in her newly published book released this week that she used an Op-ed by a South Sudanese bishop to convince president Salva Kiir to reach a compromise on the dispute with Sudan over oil transit fees.

The landlocked nation has no outlet to export its oil except through pipelines in Sudan which extends to the coastal city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

Juba rejected Khartoum’s proposed fees for the service and called it excessive. The lingering disagreement prompted South Sudan to shut down its oil production in January 2012, accusing Sudan of stealing its oil and diverting it into other pipelines.

The shutdown was detrimental to both economies which rely on oil for the bulk of their revenues and hard currency inflows.

Clinton said in her book ‘Hard Choices’ that she pressed Kiir to reverse the decision during her meeting with him in the summer of 2012.

“So in August I flew to Juba, the new capital of South Sudan, to try to broker a deal. It had taken years of patient diplomacy to end the civil war and midwife the birth of a new nation, and we couldn’t let that achievement fall apart now. What’s more, with intense efforts under way around the world to convince energy-hungry nations to reduce consumption of Iranian oil and shift to new suppliers, we could ill afford to see Sudanese oil go off the market,” she wrote.

However, Kiir refused to budge, she said adding that the South Sudanese leader explained to her in length the reasons why his country could not compromise on an oil deal.

“Behind all the arguments about pricing and refining was a simple human reality: these battle-scarred freedom fighters couldn’t bring themselves to move beyond the horrors of the past,” Clinton wrote.

The then top US diplomat said the standoff between Khartoum and Juba “meant starving their new nation of the resources it needed to thrive”.

Clinton said she decided to try a different and an unusual approach at that point and took out a copy of an op-ed in the New York Times by Bishop Elias Taban that was published just a few days before and slid it across the table which she said had made “a significant impression on her”.

“Before we go any further, I would appreciate you reading this, I told him. President Kiir was curious; this was unusual behavior in a high-level diplomatic meeting. As he began to read, his eyes widened. Pointing to the byline, he said, “He was a soldier with me.” “Yes,” I replied, “but now he’s a man of peace. And he remembers that you fought together for freedom and dignity, not for oil.”

“There must always come a point,” Taban wrote, “where we look forward and recognise the need to stop fighting over past wrongs so we can build toward a new future.”

Clinton said that is "one of the hardest lessons for people to learn on any level, personal or political, but it is profoundly important in a world where so many societies are still held back by old enmities and conflicts".

“I watched President Kiir read his old comrade’s words, and his defiance seemed to soften. Perhaps now we could get down to business. I kept emphasising that “a percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing.”

“Finally president Kiir agreed to reopen negotiations with the North to try to find a compromise on oil pricing. At 2:45am. the next day, after a marathon negotiation in Ethiopia, the two sides reached a deal so that the oil could begin flowing again”.

Clinton gave extensive praise to Taban saying he is one of the “most remarkable” people she met mentioning that she held a meeting with him during that visit and invited him in September 2013 to the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York where she presented him with Global Citizen award “for his peacemaking efforts”.

(ST)

Problem solvation.

Hillary Clinton discloses how she convinced Kiir to resolve Sudan oil dispute

June 11, 2014 (WASHINGTON) – Former United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton has disclosed in her newly published book released this week that she used an Op-ed by a South Sudanese bishop to convince president Salva Kiir to reach a compromise on the dispute with Sudan over oil transit fees.

The landlocked nation has no outlet to export its oil except through pipelines in Sudan which extends to the coastal city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

Juba rejected Khartoum’s proposed fees for the service and called it excessive. The lingering disagreement prompted South Sudan to shut down its oil production in January 2012, accusing Sudan of stealing its oil and diverting it into other pipelines.

The shutdown was detrimental to both economies which rely on oil for the bulk of their revenues and hard currency inflows.

Clinton said in her book ‘Hard Choices’ that she pressed Kiir to reverse the decision during her meeting with him in the summer of 2012.

“So in August I flew to Juba, the new capital of South Sudan, to try to broker a deal. It had taken years of patient diplomacy to end the civil war and midwife the birth of a new nation, and we couldn’t let that achievement fall apart now. What’s more, with intense efforts under way around the world to convince energy-hungry nations to reduce consumption of Iranian oil and shift to new suppliers, we could ill afford to see Sudanese oil go off the market,” she wrote.

However, Kiir refused to budge, she said adding that the South Sudanese leader explained to her in length the reasons why his country could not compromise on an oil deal.

“Behind all the arguments about pricing and refining was a simple human reality: these battle-scarred freedom fighters couldn’t bring themselves to move beyond the horrors of the past,” Clinton wrote.

The then top US diplomat said the standoff between Khartoum and Juba “meant starving their new nation of the resources it needed to thrive”.

Clinton said she decided to try a different and an unusual approach at that point and took out a copy of an op-ed in the New York Times by Bishop Elias Taban that was published just a few days before and slid it across the table which she said had made “a significant impression on her”.

“Before we go any further, I would appreciate you reading this, I told him. President Kiir was curious; this was unusual behavior in a high-level diplomatic meeting. As he began to read, his eyes widened. Pointing to the byline, he said, “He was a soldier with me.” “Yes,” I replied, “but now he’s a man of peace. And he remembers that you fought together for freedom and dignity, not for oil.”

“There must always come a point,” Taban wrote, “where we look forward and recognise the need to stop fighting over past wrongs so we can build toward a new future.”

Clinton said that is "one of the hardest lessons for people to learn on any level, personal or political, but it is profoundly important in a world where so many societies are still held back by old enmities and conflicts".

“I watched President Kiir read his old comrade’s words, and his defiance seemed to soften. Perhaps now we could get down to business. I kept emphasising that “a percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing.”

“Finally president Kiir agreed to reopen negotiations with the North to try to find a compromise on oil pricing. At 2:45am. the next day, after a marathon negotiation in Ethiopia, the two sides reached a deal so that the oil could begin flowing again”.

Clinton gave extensive praise to Taban saying he is one of the “most remarkable” people she met mentioning that she held a meeting with him during that visit and invited him in September 2013 to the Clinton Global Initiative conference in New York where she presented him with Global Citizen award “for his peacemaking efforts”.

(ST)

Disoccupati.

قوات الدعم السريع لقتل السودانين مجرم يا حسن البشير لعنك الله٠
Milizia di Bashir stano masacrando i Nuba .... HASSAN AL BASHIR e solo un criminale senza judice lo arresto e lo lascio nella mani di quelli che ha masakrato suoi famiglare.

Sono 1.000.000 disoccupati in Sudan.

Good news.

News of Sudan

Sudan to assume full ownership of oil pipelines by end of 2016: minister

June 9, 2014 (KHARTOUM) –Sudanese oil minister Makkawi Mohamed Awad announced on Monday that an agreement will be signed with a number of Chinese companies by which Khartoum will assume full ownership of the oil pipeline that extends to the South by the end of 2016.

Awad made the revelation during the meeting of the economic sector ministers chaired by second vice-president Hassabo Abdul-Rahman.

Khartoum used the oil pipeline as leverage in its conflict with Juba, and Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir ordered its closure more than once to block oil flow from landlocked South Sudan. This prompted the latter to announce its intention several times in the past to build an alternative line through Ethiopia or Kenya.

The 1,610 kilometers pipeline cuts through the oil production fields in Heglig and passes through Khartoum and al-Obaid refineries all the way to Bashayer sea port on the Red Sea which lies south of the city of Port Sudan.

The $1 billion pipeline has a 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity and its construction was carried out by several specialised foreign companies, all operating under the supervision of the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC).

It was formally inaugurated on 30 June 1999.

In a related issue, the Minister of Electricity and Water Resources, Moatez Moussa said a delegation comprised of the ministers of finance and oil as well as officials from thermal generation company will visit China this week to follow up on a number of issues, including problems related to the electricity sector in Sudan.

He disclosed that their main goal is to convince Chinese contractors to resume working on al-Foula electricity plant which was suspended in 2011 as a result of funding issues.

The best for all.

Western Equatoria governor backs calls for federalism

June 9, 2014 (JUBA) – The governor of South Sudan’s Western Equatoria state has reignited the debate over federalism, saying it is the system of governance that will control tribal-related conflicts and give citizens the power to decide of matters affecting them.

Governor Joseph Bangasi Bakosoro made these remarks during Monday’s official opening of the state legislative assembly after three month of recess.

“Western Equatoria State is for federal system of Government”, Bakosoro told lawmakers, members of his government and area citizens.

He appealed to the population not to get involved in the ongoing conflict, saying South Sudan witnessed enough wars during its struggle for independence, which was eventually achieved after a self-determination referendum.

“There is no reason to start fighting ourselves after attaining the independence we wanted. When we fought, we did not fight as tribes or regions; we fought as South Sudanese and if there are issues we want to discuss now, because they are important to our people like the system of governance,": said Bakosoro.

"We must raise and discus them without necessarily misinterpreting the views expressed by others", he added while calling for open discussions among citizens.

The governor further stressed that democracy had set foot everywhere in the world and that South Sudan was not exception in embracing the practice.

"Western Equatoria state government and its people have thrown their support to the establishment of federal system in South Sudan", he told the assembly.

Governor Bakosoro, the second most prominent political figure in the country to openly voice support for federalism after his Central Equatoria counterpart, Clement Wani Konga, said people from the greater Equatoria region have been demanding for a federal system of governance for long and that such calls should not be ignored.

“Federalism has been one of the longest calls of the people of Equatoria and this is now the time for our people to say it louder without any fear because it is not a crime if people express their democratic rights in a peaceful manner", said the governor.

"No individuals or group of people can obstruct these calls because it is a democratic right to express your feelings about the system of governance”, he stressed.

Bakosoro, however, said his state was stable and achieved a lot despite few cases of rebel defectors visiting the area as well as the movement of the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) insurgents.

He said his administration, despite the austerity measures and conflict in the country, recorded significant achievements in security, health, information and infrastructure.

Last week, South Sudan president Salva Kiir told the opening session of the country’s national assembly that citizens should be allowed to decide on what system of governance they wanted instead of imposing federalism on to them

ALL THE SUDANESE DO NOT KNOW WHERE SUDAN IS GOING???

INTERVIEW: Sudan’s RNP chief not optimistic about national dialogue

June 9, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of Sudan’s opposition Reform Now Party (RNP), Ghazi Salah al-Deen Al-Attabani, said that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is not yet ready to offer the necessary compromises needed to achieve a national accord.

He accused the NCP of seeking to hold the national dialogue according to its own conditions and agendas, noting that dialogue which is being held under threats from the government party will not produce a sustainable agreement.

Attabani, who was interviewed by Sudan Tribune, underscored that dialogue is the essence of political work and its only available alternative is violence, describing differences between them and the government on dialogue requirements as significant.

The RNP leader further said that his party’s decision to suspend participation in the ongoing national dialogue process was based upon accurate estimates.

Last week, the RNP announced its intention to suspend its participation in the ongoing national dialogue process in response to what it described as a series of setbacks to political freedoms in the country.

“I am no longer optimistic about the outcome of the national dialogue. I don’t think that any kind of serious dialogue can take place given the significant difference [between us and the government] in the definition of dialogue and its requirements, and in light of [the government’s] lack of commitment to its needs. I believe that a new thesis of dialogue must replace the current one”, he said.

Attabani added that they respect the decision of the opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP) led by Hassan al-Turabi to continue participation in the dialogue process, saying the PCP has its own estimates which are based on different reading for the current political situation.

The PCP has previously rejected calls to boycott the dialogue despite acknowledging recent crackdown by the government.

Late last January, the Sudanese leader, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir announced in a televised address to the nation a four-point plan for reform "to stop the war and bring peace, free political society, fight against poverty and revitalize national identity".

He further called for political forces and even rebel groups to lay down arms to engage in dialogue to agree on the implementation items to achieve these objectives.

In his response to a question about the extent of influence of the PCP leader on president Bashir at the moment, Attabani said:

“Bashir needs to meet several legitimacies, some of them are national and others are Islamic and this opens a window for Turabi to have an influence on him. This card could be used positively”, he said.

The RNP leader pointed that there are many rumors about the real reasons behind the arrest of the leader of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, saying the punishment he received is not commensurate with the charges filed against him by the government.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Attabani pointed that Sudan’s foreign policy has been unsteady since independence, saying a major reason for that was the lack of clarity of the political reference of the foreign ministry.

“Other government institutions replace the foreign ministry in making foreign policy decisions. The presidency is responsible for fixing this problem”, he said.

“We are currently witnessing the worst crisis in our foreign policy; however, we will be able to overcome it if we clearly determined that our national interests and priorities of our foreign policy. We are a country surrounded by neighbors who have different interests and principles”, he added.

Attabani further said the current first priority is to unify the Sudanese people not the Islamic movements.

Attabani lost his position last year as head of the NCP parliamentary caucus after publicly declaring that Bashir is constitutionally barred from running again for the presidency.

He was also expelled from the NCP in late 2013 in the wake of a memo he drafted, along with more than two dozen party figures calling for the reversal of a decision to lift fuel subsidies and an end to the violent measures taken against demonstrators who took to the streets to protest.

Last December, he decided along with other figures to establish the RNP.

Sudan declarations.

HOME | NEWS MONDAY 9 JUNE 2014 Sudan’s NCP reiterates support for Kiir-led government June 8, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) rejected protests by the South Sudanese embassy in Khartoum over a press conference held by SPLM-In-Opposition rebels in the capital, saying that does not affect its support to the elected government in Juba. The South Sudanese embassy in Sudan on Saturday issued a statement saying that allowing a visiting rebel delegation to hold a press conference in Khartoum was a violation of the cooperation agreements signed by the two countries. NCP spokesperson Yasir Youssef however minimised the embassy’s statement saying the reception of a rebel delegation does not affect Khartoum’s “consistent position” of supporting the legitimate government of South Sudan. The hearing of one of the parties to the conflict in South Sudan aims to listen to its position and to push the mediation process led by the IGAD, Youssef said. He stressed that Sudan is a member of the IGAD mediation team tasked with the resolution of the conflict between the two rival sides. “Sudan went more and when it declared its support to the legitimate government in South Sudan,” he stressed adding “we are with stability and end of war”. Since the start of the conflict, different Sudanese officials state that, despite Juba support to the rebel groups in South Kordofan and Darfur, Khartoum has no interest to support the continuation of the armed conflict because it affects Sudan directly. The rebel delegation arrived in Khartoum as advance team to prepare the visit of the rebel leader Riek Machar to the country within a regional tour he conducts to explain the position of his group on the peace process and also his opposition to the deployment of an IGAD force. However, government officials in Juba accuse Sudanese government of harbouring and providing logistical support to the rebels. Defence minister Kuol Manyang Juuk last Saturday told Al-Sharq Alawsat daily newspaper that some circles within the Sudanese government provided land mines to the rebels who used it in Unity state. (ST)