High hopes pinned on presidential summit

Presidents Al-Bashir and Kiir

Both governments of Sudan and South Sudan have accepted the invitation by the African Union mediation panel to convene a summit between the presidents of the two countries, ahead of January's African leaders' summit in Addis Ababa, to discuss stalled implementation of the Cooperation Agreement they signed in the 27^th of this September.

Initially, the mediation planned organizing a miniature summit between the two presidents on the sidelines of the African Union's annual meeting, for the same purpose.

Member of South Sudan's negotiating team, Luka Biong announced in statements to Al-Sahafa Arabic daily last Monday that the South Sudan president will send a high-level delegation to Khartoum next week, to renew his invitation to his counterpart president Al-Bashir to discuss holding a presidential summit in Khartoum instead of Juba; expressing his country’s keenness to find a solution to outstanding issues, particularly Abyei and  borders, away from the UN Security Council, and a desire to resolve these issue on an African and regional level .

On its part, the political sector of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) welcomed the proposed summit, reiterating its commitment to the implementation of signed agreements, pointing out that it does not rule out that the two presidents could meet before the African Union's leaders' summit; so long as it is in the interest of implementing the cooperation deal and resolving pending issues between the two countries.

Speaking after a meeting of the party's political sector, NCP spokesperson, Badr al-Deen Ibrahim, said that Khartoum welcomes any and all steps leading to enactment of the Cooperation Agreement and paving the way for establishment of good-neighborly relations.

Ibrahim was quoted by Sudan Tribune yesterday as expressing hope that the two parties would demonstrate the political will necessary for executing what has been agreed, and reiterating his country's commitment to what's been signed in Addis Ababa.

He went further by calling on the mediation and the international community to exert the necessary pressure on any of the parties they deem to be obstructing implementation.

Negotiating delegations from both countries agreed last week in Addis Ababa to meet after Christmas and New Year holidays to continue discussions on disengagement with rebel groups, as the two agreed partially on implementation of security deals.

The presidential summit is seen by observers and analysts as a very important development towards reaching a final deal on all outstanding issues. The hope is that the leadership in both countries will take positive steps at their meeting next week to bring them closer to a final deal that would allow the resumption of oil exports, extremely vital to both countries' economies.