Addis Ababa, 22 December 2011: The African Union High‐Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) for Sudan convened the Government of the Republic of Sudan (GoS) and the Government of the Republic of South Sudan (GoRSS) in a two‐day meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to review the status of outstanding issues in the negotiations between the two States.
The meeting, held on 19 and 20 December 2011, was chaired by former President Pierre Buyoya, member of the Panel.
The delegation from GoRSS was led by the Secretary‐General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and Lead Negotiator, Mr. Pagan Amum. The Government of Sudan delegation was headed Lead Negotiator Minister Idriss Abdelgader.
Both Parties reiterated their commitment to the principle of two viable States, at peace with each other, and agreed to continue to negotiate in earnest to speedily reach agreement on outstanding issues.
The Panel welcomed the agreement by the two Parties to resume discussions from 17 to 23 January 2012 focusing on Arrears and Oil. The Parties have further agreed that the Panel, in consultation with the Parties, may request representatives of oil companies operating in the two States to attend relevant sessions to provide information and inputs.
During the upcoming meeting, the Parties will also have discussions on Banking and Trade Payments and Nationality, as agreed in earlier rounds of talks.
The Panel welcomed the warm atmosphere in which the meeting was held, and praised the swift pace at which the Parties reached agreement on the January 2012 meeting. The Panel encouraged the Parties to continue negotiations in a similar spirit and remain committed to the overriding aspiration of their two peoples, living in peace and harmony.