Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-23-Speech-3-356-000"
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"en.20120523.17.3-356-000"2
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"Mr President, I am speaking on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Ashton, who cannot be present today, to discuss the deteriorating situation between Sudan and South Sudan.
In the south, the human rights situation is also of concern. We welcome the recent visit of the UN Human Rights High Commissioner, Navi Pillay, to South Sudan to help the government address these challenges.
The EU remains committed to the concept of two viable states. We were pleased that President Salva Kiir, when he visited Brussels in March, informed us of his government’s wish to accede to the EU-ACP Partnership Agreement, the Cotonou Agreement. This will provide us with a framework for future development cooperation. As partners, we can establish a dialogue on the issues which are the core principles of this partnership: democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.
The EU has mobilised substantial development assistance for South Sudan in the form of ‘special funds’ from the European Development Fund to a total of EUR 285 million. We will support South Sudan’s development agenda and nation-building efforts through support for rural development and agriculture, health and education, as well as the rule of law and democratic governance. The EU is also planning to deploy a Common Security and Defence Policy mission to increase security at Juba International Airport.
In the north, we find the government’s decision not to ratify the revised Cotonou Agreement of 2005 regrettable. Nevertheless, the EU has made development funds available to assist the most vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas such as Darfur, eastern Sudan, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. This is in addition to our substantial humanitarian assistance programme. We also support democratisation, human rights and grassroots inter-community dialogue.
We must not forget the conflict in Darfur, where the situation is still of great concern. Although there have been some voluntary returns, some 1.7 million internally displaced people are still living in camps, and there has been fresh displacement. The joint UN/AU peacekeeping mission, UNAMID, still faces restrictions on its freedom of movement imposed by the government of Sudan. Humanitarian access to much of the Jebel Mara region remains blocked. We welcome the Doha document on peace in Darfur as a positive first step towards reaching a comprehensive and inclusive peace settlement, but it needs to be fully implemented. The Council of the European Union has repeatedly recalled the government of Sudan’s obligation to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1593.
The situation in Sudan and South Sudan remains one of great concern. I have made clear that the EU continues to promote all efforts to bring peace and stability to both countries. We remain committed to supporting the emergence of two viable states living in peaceful coexistence.
It is indeed with deep concern that we witness increasing tensions between these two countries. We reached a critical stage last month with South Sudan’s seizure and occupation of the Heglig oil fields and Sudan’s ongoing aerial bombardment of South Sudanese territory.
The High Representative strongly condemned these acts by both sides and urged both parties to end hostilities immediately and return to the negotiating table. President Van Rompuy telephoned South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its forces. On 23 April, the Foreign Affairs Council welcomed South Sudan’s withdrawal from Heglig under strong international pressure and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, including an end to attacks by the two countries on each other’s territory, whether directly or through proxies, the withdrawal of all security personnel from Abyei, and the avoidance of further provocation, including inflammatory rhetoric.
On 24 April, the African Union Peace and Security Council adopted a road map with a series of clear steps and timelines for ending hostilities and bringing the parties back to the negotiating table. Following that, on 2 May, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2046 which endorsed the African Union’s road map. This is a major step. It reflects a high degree of consensus in the international community. It is also significant that this initiative came from the African Union (AU). Sudan and South Sudan have both accepted the road map and a cessation of hostilities. Now they must match their words by action. The parties must take the necessary steps to activate the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission immediately.
In her statement on 5 May, the High Representative warmly welcomed the road map set out in UN Security Council Resolution 2046. The EU calls on the parties to implement it without qualification or delay. The EU welcomes South Sudan’s withdrawal of its forces from the Abyei area and calls on the government of Sudan to do so too. Both parties must also stop supporting rebels and proxy forces in each other’s territory.
The parties now have three months to reach agreement on all outstanding issues. If they fail to do so, the UN, the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will present detailed proposals for a settlement. In the event of non-compliance, the Security Council has threatened to impose non-military sanctions.
The road map also addresses the conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile State, which is linked to the current tensions between Sudan and South Sudan. The government of Sudan must allow immediate humanitarian access to all civilians affected by the conflict.
We believe that an inclusive political settlement is needed to resolve this conflict. The EU would urge the government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in the north to comply with the requirement in the Security Council resolution to reach a negotiated settlement. The EU thinks that progress on inclusive governance and democratic reform is needed in both Sudan and South Sudan to allow the root causes of internal conflicts to be addressed. The national constitutional review process in both countries is an important opportunity in this respect, provided the process is fully inclusive.
In the north, we remain seriously concerned about the detention of human rights defenders, journalists, opposition politicians and peaceful student protestors. One of the basic principles of the comprehensive peace agreement was the establishment of democratic governance, based on respect for diversity and basic freedoms."@en1
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