New York, US - Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti said on Tuesday that his country was committed to resolving all the remaining disputes related to its peace accord with the Republic of South Sudan, including border demarcation issues and the division of oil revenues.

Karti, who addressed the UN General Assembly’s annual general debate in New York, said his country had accepted South Sudan’s decision to secede in July, not because it did not want unity but because it wanted stability and sustainable peace.

He said the Khartoum was also giving priority to resolving the conflict in the western region of Darfur, which has been waging since 2003.

He backed the recently signed Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, a Qatari-mediated agreement, aimed at spurring an eventual comprehensive accord to end the conflict, saying it responded to all the aspirations of the people of the remote and arid region.

Karti said the resettlement of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees as a result of the conflict was now one of the key elements of the government’s strategy to bring peace back to Darfur, where rebel groups have fought government forces and allied militiamen.

PANA reported that Karti later met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN chief commended Khartoum for its peaceful implementation of the South Sudan referendum.

Ban also urged the Sudanese foreign minister to work towards resolving all remaining issues relating to peace and stability in Sudan's regions and with the its neighbour.

He, however, expressed concern over continued deadly fighting in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which lie next to the border with South Sudan, and called on the Sudanese government to make progress, so that a cessation of hostilities can be struck and humanitarian workers can reach those affected by the fighting.

PANA recalled that South Sudanese voted overwhelmingly for separation in a referendum in January, which was held as part of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)
that ended the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan.

However, the two countries remain divided on some issues since secession, including how to divide revenues from oil production and the exact border between them.

Pana 28/09/2011