يا "واصل" إذا كنت فعلا صحفى وتتعامل بمهنية إحترافية لماذ لم تنقل مؤتمر غرايشن الصحفى فى واشنطن!

United States Department of State (Washington, DC) Sudan: Foreign Press Center Briefing With Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration 11 January 2010 * Email| * Print| * Comment Share: * on Twitter * Facebook * Digg * Del.icio.us * Muti * StumbleUpon press conference The following press center briefing was held by U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration at the Washington Foreign Press Center in Washington, DC, to address the topic of Sudan on the fifth anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to the Foreign Press Center. Thank you for coming out on this frigid morning. Click to learn more... Today’s a very special day for us, not only because we have Special Envoy Gration coming to talk to us, but also because it’s the first time that we will be DVCing with the South African media hub. It’s an important occasion. We’re getting information out to the source very rapidly. And I’m just very pleased to be able to share this moment with all of you. So a few ground rules before we start. You’re all here. We also have a connection with South Africa. Once General Gration has made his remarks, we will go directly to South Africa to have their questions posed for us. Once we finish with them, we’ll come back here to Washington and you will be able to ask your questions. Immediately after, we will again DVC with New York. As usual, make sure that your phones off, please, or, at least, on vibrator. And when you ask your questions, state your name and your news organization. Again, we would like to – the Foreign Press Center would like to welcome General Gration, Special Envoy for the President for Sudan. MR. GRATION: Good morning. Thank you very much. It really is a pleasure to be here and to have this opportunity to get the word out on what we’ve been doing in Sudan. You know, it’s been five years since the CPA was signed. We just celebrated that anniversary on the 9th of January. It’s the longest – or it’s an agreement that ended the longest running war in Africa, the civil war between the North and the South. Since 2005, the National Congress Party and the Sudanese People Liberation Movement have made significant progress toward peace. The northern troops pulled out of the South. The ceasefire has largely held. The government of national unity was formed in Khartoum and the regional government of Southern Sudan was created in Juba. The oil wealth has been shared, and the historical grazing rights have been honored. The parties have reached agreements on the border with the disputed area, what we call Abyei. They’ve passed legislation to prepare for the national and legislative elections, the popular consultations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile areas, and the two referenda on self-determination in Abyei and in Southern Sudan. At the same time, peace remains incomplete. There’s not been enough progress on the democratic transformation that was envisioned in the CPA. Violence in the South is too high. And insecurity and lawlessness in Darfur remain much too high also. But over the last five years, the agreement has weathered a lot of challenges and has overcome some major hurdles. The parties should be commended for their commitment to frank dialogue and to peaceful engagement. The greatest challenges, however, lie ahead. Continued strong leadership from the parties is imperative. Sudan will face the first national election in 24 years this April. And while the record turnout for registration was a testament to Sudan’s strong desire for democracy, we remain concerned about the ongoing restrictions to the freedom of speech, of assembly, and of the press. We will continue to support Sudan’s elections, for they’re an important CPA milestone toward democratic transformation. They are a key stepping stone to credible referenda in January of 2011. Just one year from now, the people of Southern Sudan and Abyei will choose whether to remain part of Sudan or to separate and form an independent country. This will be Africa’s first country in nearly 20 years. Credible referenda are vital. They should take place on time and their outcomes must be respected. It’s imperative that the parties and the international community begin to grapple with those tough issues that will result from the upcoming vote. We must all work diligently together in the next year to prepare Sudan and the entire region for the potential scenarios that will resume. We urge both the NCP and the SPLM to continue to make compromises and equipment – excuse me, and commitments required to build confidence and to achieve a lasting peace in the region. We recognize that the problems of Sudan must be solved by the Sudanese themselves, but that the rest of the world should pitch in. And that’s why we’re working so closely with the other envoys to Sudan, with international groups like the troika. We’re also working with Sudan’s neighbors to find lasting solutions within a regional context. The United States is committed to peace in Sudan, and we will provide the leadership and support that’s required to achieve that objective. At this time, I’d like to open it up for your questions. MODERATOR: And we will go to South Africa. MODERATOR: We have 20 minutes on the schedule for questions from South Africa, so if you all just want to raise your hands and I’ll select someone, you come up and just identify yourself and your organization, please. Do you want to start? QUESTION: Good morning, sir. My name’s Andrei (inaudible) of Media 24 in Johannesburg. Could you just comment on where in your view the Mbeki process, is President Mbeki process, is with respect to getting Sudan into a position to actually hold the election at this time? MR. GRATION: Thank you, Andrei (ph) and appreciate your question. The Mbeki high-level panel, I believe, will be critical to peace and lasting security in Sudan. President Mbeki comes with high regard and credibility. He’s put a great deal of effort into learning about the situation not only in Darfur, but also in Southern Sudan. He has relationships with leaders in the region and with the two parties, so he’s in a perfect position to provide the leadership and direction and facilitation to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in this last year and also to get an agreement in Darfur. We believe that President Mbeki’s efforts and the high-level panel’s efforts on accountability and justice will be critical, because we know that there cannot be a lasting peace in Darfur unless there’s accountability and justice. We also understand that he comes with the mandate from the African Union, and that is so very important. And so our plan is to continue to work with President Mbeki and his group. We have been in constant contact with him over the past six to eight months. We have regular telephone calls, and I’ve met personally with him on numerous occasions. We will continue to work together because it is only in the spirit of cooperation that we can achieve a lasting peace in Sudan. QUESTION: Hello. My name is Donna Bryson. I’m with the Associated Press. I’m wondering, first, if you could discuss what you see as the roots of the continuing violence in Southern Sudan – what you said, the violence is too high. And what is being done on the part of the international community to bring that under control? And secondly, can you give me your opinion on whether you think the referendum will happen and why or why not? Relevant Links * East Africa * North Africa * Sudan * U.S., Canada and Africa * Peacekeeping * International Organisations * Conflict MR. GRATION: Yes, thank you, Donna. First on the rising violence, we are very concerned about the rising violence that we’re seeing in Southern Sudan. I know there’s been a great deal of allegations that who’s behind it and what is causing it. But the bottom line is we need to move forward. We need to come up with solutions. There needs to be more effort and conflict mitigation and getting out in front of the problem and not just reacting to it. Right now, it seems like we hear about problems after they’ve already occurred, that 139 died last week. What we need to do is get out in front of this to prevent these kinds of problems, to resolve the issues between the tribes, between the communities that are fighting. We need to figure out the source of the guns and ammunition and equipment, and we need to reduce those. We need to work with the Government of Southern Sudan to increase the agility and mobility of their security forces. There needs to be more communications – excuse me, more roads, more transportation, and more ability for security forces to get to these problem areas in a timely manner.