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United States Welcomes Sudanese First Vice President

By Christine A. Terada
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- First Vice President of Sudan H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit spoke to a filled room at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, established by Congress in 1968, on November 4during his first official visit to the United States since the death of his predecessor, John Garang.  He expressed gratitude toward the American government and updated audience members on the implementation of Sudan's landmark Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Kiir thanked those who provided the people of southern Sudan and other marginalized areas with humanitarian assistance, saying, "We are very grateful for this assistance and have expressed the wish that the emergency humanitarian aid be converted to long-term rehabilitation and development programs."

He said the peace agreement "is moving slowly, but in the right direction," since the untimely death of Sudan's  late leader, John Garang, who died in a plane crash weeks after becoming vice president.

Kiir invited Foreign Minister Lam Akol and Minister of State for Finance Lual Deng to address the remaining challenges and tensions surrounding the peace agreement between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Obstacles facing the CPA's implementation include unequal shares in oil revenues, demarcation of boundaries between regions and U.S. sanctions. According to a press release on the event, Kiir said that "although the U.S. had been helpful in providing assistance during the war and in facilitating the peace talks, newly announced sanctions on Sudan would have a detrimental effect on the peace agreement, since reconstruction projects in the South will not be exempted."

Kiir emphasized the need for reconstruction and development to help the country to transition to a time of peace. "There must be a peace dividend," he said. "There is little reason for people to support peace if they have the same living conditions as they did in wartime."

Deng also advocated procedures to ensure that money for reconstruction is well spent to prevent corruption from diluting the six-year "construction site."

Despite these challenges, Kiir said, "things are now picking up." He cited the institutions created by the CPA, which include the two chambers of the national legislatures, the Council of the State, and the Council of Ministers of the Government of National Unity (GONU) in September.

Additionally, the national commission and committees "essential" to the implementation of the CPA now are in the process of being created, he said.  Among these are the Assessment and Evaluation Commission, the National Petroleum Commission, the Ceasefire Political Committee, the Joint Defense Board and the Monetary and Financial Allocation Committee.

The vice president also touched upon the Darfur situation, and was insistent that the SPLM play a role.  He said a meeting was held on October 26 to develop a common position of the GONU on negotiations with the Darfur rebels and was optimistic about the upcoming round of negotiations.  He said he was confident that a peace agreement in Darfur could be reached before the end of 2005.

In discussing the conflict in Northern Uganda, Kiir also said that if the Lord's Resistance Army, which has been fighting the Uganda government for nearly two decades, did not enter into negotiations or begin a dialogue with the SPLM, the group would not be tolerated in southern Sudan where they maintain rear bases.  "How can you have a guest in your house if he cannot talk to you?" he asked rhetorically.

For additional information, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.