News Article by AFP posted on August 05, 2000 at 22:53:36: EST (-5 GMT)
Khartoum reaffirms opposition to any secession by south
KHARTOUM, Aug 5 (AFP) - Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustapha Ismail
reaffirmed
Saturday both the government's opposition to any eventual
secession by the
southern part of the country and its determination to retain
a unified
federal system.
"The government strongly opposes the secession of the southern part of
the
country and is determined to keep Sudan a united state based on a
federal
system and a just distribution of wealth and power," Ismail told
reporters.
Pointing out that Sudan is a country of diverse ethnic and religious
groups,
Ismail said "an act of seceding ... will lead to dividing the Sudan
into
ministates."
He added that secession would not lead to an end of the war that has
been
underway between rebels in the south and the government since 1983.
At the same time, he said secession would be "unacceptable" to
neighboring
countries and to the Oranization of African Unity.
While speaking for unity, Ismail underlined that this should not be
imposed
by force and that his government would seek to achieve it "by
consensus of
all parties."
In that context, he noted what he said was the willingness of groups in
the
south contacted by the government to participate in bids for peace
and
national reconciliation.
He did not identify those groups, but said they are convinced that
the
struggle of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), led by John
Garang,
"is based on personal ambitions not related to the demands of the
other
southern groups."
He also warned the SPLA against further escalating military operations in
the
Bahr el-Ghazal region of southern Sudan, saying the government
"will
reciprocate in kind, and the rebel movement will be responsible for
the
consequences."
Moreover, continuing military operations will hamper relief operations in
the
region, he said.
In that context, he said the government and the United Nations had agreed
to
meet on Aug 24 to review the operations of the UN- sponsored
Operation
Lifeline-Sudan. He said the government insists on supervising the
OLS program
of delivering humanitarian assistance in the
south.