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MEDIA STATEMENT 30 March 2012 South African Government's response to the recent military confrontation between the Republic of Sudan and South Sudan President Jacob Zuma joins the international community in expressing his deep concern following the recent military confrontation between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), which took place in the disputed border region between Sudan and South Sudan. This recent military confrontation has the potential to worsen the humanitarian crisis in the affected region, leading to further civilian casualties, and also threatens to precipitate a resumption of conflict between Sudan and South Sudan. President Zuma urges the two parties to once again demonstrate the exceptional leadership and commitment to peace that was shown when they signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005, which brought an end to the civil war that had ravaged the region. The President stated that "the tremendous display of the will of the people was a moment we all stood in awe of in January 2011 when the referendum in South Sudan went ahead without incident. The honour displayed by Presidents Omar Al Bashir and Salva Kiir during the inauguration of South Sudan in July 2011 gave hope to all of us on the Continent that peace and mutual respect is achievable." President Zuma urged Sudan and South Sudan not to allow this incident to derail the gains made thus far. The President also commended the two parties for their courage and resolve in concluding a Non-Aggression and Cooperation Pact on 10 February 2012, which makes provision for the two States to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He urged that this pact must be implemented in full. President Zuma called on both parties not to undertake any action that would undermine the security and stability of the region and each other's territories. Furthermore, President Zuma has called on his dear brothers, President Al Bashir and President Salva Kiir, to resume their scheduled talks and ensure that the Summit in Juba takes place as planned. The Summit would be a strong gesture and have a calming and restorative effect on the relations, as did the visit of President Bashir just days before the referendum. The President has urged both States to utilize the upcoming session of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism to defuse tensions along the border, and to continue working within the context of the negotiations carried out under the auspices of the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP). ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION OR Tambo Building 460 Soutpansberg Road Pretoria Disclaimer: This email and files transmitted with it contain confidential and privileged information and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please - - do not read, disseminate, distribute, copy or take action in reliance on this email and - delete it immediately and arrange for the deletion thereof on your server, and - notify the administrator of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation at [email protected] immediately. Any unauthorised, use duplication or interception of this e-mail or any files transmitted with it is expressly and strictly prohibited. No representation, guarantee or undertaking (expressed or implied) is made or given - As to the confidentiality or security of the e-mail system' Or - As to the accuracy of the information in this email and any files transmitted with it is virus-free. No responsibility or liability is accepted for: - the proper, complete transmission of the information contained in this email or any files transmitted with it or any delay in its receipt; or rising from or as a result of the use of or reliance on the content of this email or any files transmitted with it. Any views expressed in this email or any files transmitted with it are not necessarily the views of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Queries regarding this emails or any files transmitted with it, should be directed to [email protected]. This disclaimer forms part of the content of this e-mail for purposes of section 11 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 (Act No. 25 of 2002) -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
