March 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) called on the African Union mediation team to consult with the two parties when it comes to decide on the date of the talks and other related arrangements.
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- Secretary General of the Sudan People Liberation Movement North Yasser Arman (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The angry reaction comes as the mediation recently notified and cancelled two dates it had fixed for direct talks between the rebel movement and Khartoum government in order to end the ongoing conflict in two southern Sudanese states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
According to the SPLM-N chief negotiator and its secretary general Yasir Arman, the mediation initially determined the 5th of March for direct talks with Sudanese government delegation but later moved the meeting to 10 March before to inform them that "the talks were not going to take place until further notice".
"It was an open secret that Khartoum put new conditions and they said openly that they are not ready to negotiate directly with the SPLM-N", Arman said in a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.
Sudanese president Omer Al-Bashir recently openly rejected to hold direct talks with the SPLM-N to settle peacefully the ongoing conflict and to reach an agreement over humanitarian access into the rebel held areas in the Two Areas.
Sudan said talks can be held only once South Sudan disengages with its former allies and when the rebel fighters handover their arms.
Khartoum last Friday agreed with Juba to implement a security arrangements agreement which provides to activate a buffer zone on the common border and to deploy joint patrols to monitor it.
The SPLM-N Secretary General said the that Khartoum's rejection of direct talks "will only result in more suffering of the civilian populations” and called on the African Union and the UN Security Council "to look into how to implement" its resolutions demanding the two parties to hold direct talks.
He nonetheless said they are "ready for direct negotiations" with the Sudanese government in accordance to the agenda set by the mediation.
He further welcomed the 8 March agreement on the modalities of implementations of security arrangements and reiterated the SPLM-N readiness to sign a " immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities".
The SPLM-N rebels say they control more than 40% of the Sudan-South Sudan border and announced their willingness to cooperate with the monitoring teams and "for the demilitarized buffer zone to achieve its goals".
Sudanese defence minister Abdel-Rahim Hussein stated that the issue of rebel groups in both countries will be discussed on 17 March in a meeting where the two parties are expected also to tackle the implementation of other deals particularly the border trade and crossing points.
(ST)