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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Nov 30 2010 - 10:09:26 EST
EU and Africa voice concern on Sudan vote -draft
Tue Nov 30, 2010 6:04am GMT
* EU-Africa summit draft calls for "credible" referendum
* All sides should accept referendum result -draft
* Secession vote seen as possible flashpoint
By Ali Shuaib
TRIPOLI, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The European Union and African states will urge
Sudan on Tuesday to accept the results of next year's referendum on whether
the south of the country should secede, according to a draft joint
declaration seen by Reuters.
The Jan. 9 referendum in the oil-producing south is likely to produce a vote
in favour of independence, diplomats and analysts have said, but it also
could be a flashpoint for renewed conflict.
Concerns over the referendum, part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades
of north-south civil war, were reflected in a draft final declaration drawn
up for a summit of EU and African Union states in Libya.
"On Sudan, we emphasise the urgency and importance of ensuring that all
elements of the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) ... are implemented in a
timely, peaceful and credible manner, in particular the referendum on South
Sudan whose results should be accepted by all," the draft said.
It also said all sides should respect the provisions of the 2005 peace
agreement on Abyei, an oil-producing region which is supposed to hold a
simultaneous plebiscite on whether to join the south or the north.
The EU-Africa summit, the first in three years, was scheduled to vote on its
final declaration later on Tuesday.
Other provisions in the draft include:
-- The EU and Africa "firmly condemn all unconstitutional changes of
governments, which, alongside bad governance, are one of the main causes of
instability". This was a reference to a spate of coups d'etat which have
tested the resolve of African leaders to end the practise of military
strong-men seizing power by force.
-- The draft touched on the divisive issue of the International Criminal
Court's indictment of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on war crimes
and genocide charges. The EU and some African governments back his arrest,
but a number of African states say they oppose it.
"We emphasise the need to strengthen national legal systems and the
international cooperation in the pursuit of justice, peace and
reconciliation, including the prosecution of the most serious crimes," the
draft said.
(Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Michael Roddy)
C Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved
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