|
|
 Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the United States Press Conference
|
Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the United States Press Conference by Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, Head of GOSS
Mission-USA at National Press Club
Washington, DC.
Date June 7th 2007.
Good afternoon.
Thank you for coming to our first formal press conference since the establishment of our Mission on January 16th 2007.
Introduction of the GOSS Mission to the United States
I should first explain why there are two Sudanese diplomatic entities in Washington, DC. Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the war between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the National Congress Party (NCP) Government in Khartoum, Sudan is now governed for an interim period in a unique fashion. It is called “One Country, Two Systems”. Under this model, Sudan is governed by a Government of National Unity, which has an Ambassador and embassy on Massachusetts Avenue. The South has a regional government called the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) which has many unique authorities, including maintaining its own military and also the authority to establish foreign missions. It is that Mission that I head located on 20th Street N.W. The objective of the Mission is to establish, develop, and maintain good relations and cooperation with foreign governments, non-governmental organizations and other associations for mutual advantage in trade, investment, culture, sports, loans and grant assistance, and technical development. This dual system will continue until the referendum in 2011 provided for in the CPA determines the future of the South, including Abyei.
The official Government of Southern Sudan and SPLM position on the War in Darfur
The Government of Southern Sudan’s task is to serve the interests of the people of Southern Sudan, to participate with the Government of National Unity in careful and complete implementation of the CPA, and to cooperate in governance in Sudan consistent with the Interim Constitution and law. The SPLM, on the other hand, is a national political party, of which I am a member and the official representative in the United States. The SPLM participates in governance in Sudan in a partnership with the National Congress Party (formerly the National Islamic Front) but each party has its own political position on issues.
The GOSS and the SPLM both differ with the National Congress Party on Darfur, including on UN Resolution 1706. We support the full deployment of the UN Hybrid Forces to Darfur; the NCP does not. We deplore the national government’s role in the violence in Darfur. We experienced similar violence during the war in the South which the CPA ended. We intend to constructively escalate our role in seeking a cessation of hostilities in Darfur, in achieving a peace agreement between all the parties and in moving forward to a New Sudan based on democratic practice and development for all.
In this regard, First Vice President of Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit, who also serving as President of the GOSS, Chairman of the SPLM, and Commander-in- Chief of the SPLA has announced a new initiative on Darfur. He has appointed Reverend Clement Janda as Special Envoy to Darfur and has invited the Darfur factions to come to Juba, the capitol of Southern Sudan, at the end of June. It is the grand hope of the GOSS and SPLM that it will be able to advance peace from within, an accomplishment the National Congress Party has never seriously pursued.
Our position on U.S. Sanctions
The history of sanctions by the United States against the Khartoum government is long and complicated. I won’t recite it here. However, our view is that those sanctions were clearly deserved. On May 29 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush announced new sanctions in light of the NCP’s unwillingness to collaborate with international community efforts to calm Darfur. We believe those sanctions are warranted. However, it is important to be clear that sanctions have an unintended but clear negative impact on the GOSS. Virtually all of the GOSS’ resources derive from a share of Sudan’s oil revenues, which are managed and allocated via a murky process in Khartoum. GOSS revenue allocations from Khartoum have been dropping for months. The new sanctions will likely trigger additional reductions, as First Vice President Salva Kiir Mayardit indicated on June 2nd 2007 to an international gathering in Norway.
The people of Darfur who are suffering are our Sudanese brothers and sisters and not “terrorist”. We view them as freedom fighters. We welcome international initiatives to bring them peace and security. We are prepared to ourselves pay a cost as a consequence of new sanctions on Khartoum. However, under the blessing of CPA-produced peace, our own war victims are just now beginning to see the fruits of peace and are looking forward to a hopeful new future. Consequently, I here today repeat the First Vice President’s concern that the war-torn Southern Sudan will also suffer a reduction in resources due to the new sanctions and request that the United States and the international community take quick compensatory action. It is critical that the peace dividend that was to accompany CPA implementation not be compromised as we move toward democratic elections in two years.
Appeal of the Government of Southern Sudan to the United States Government and the International Community
The Government of Southern Sudan appeals to the United States Government and the International Community to assist us in Grants and Loans since the Southern Sudan and the marginalized areas of the Sudan are exempted from the Sanctions. Also, we encourage the Investors and Cooperate America to utilize the vast opportunities of investment in Southern Sudan. For your information we have Gum Africa not Gum Arabic in Southern Sudan particularly in the Unity state and Upper Nile State. No one can threaten the people of the United States and the International Community to stop the exportation of Gum Africa.
The Government of Southern Sudan Mission in Washington D.C appeals to the American Colleges and universities, private and public, to help our people in Diaspora with scholarships in different fields of specializations. In the United States of America alone Southern Sudanese are over 100,000. The Government of Southern Sudan has many of its people wanting to go back home but are stuck with student loans. The Government of Southern Sudan and SPLM are requesting assistance from US Congress and the United States Government to waive these student loans and give our people the golden opportunity to participate in the development of Southern Sudan and the marginalized areas of Sudan.
In closing, I thank you for being here today and to listening to our concerns. I now welcome your questions.
Posted by
Sunday Taabu
Consular, Social and community Affairs Officer/Acting Info. Officer
GOSS Mission Washington DC
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Deng
Haydar Badawi Sadig
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست