Hon Speaker, hon members, there's been progress in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, since its signing in January 2005, between the government of the Sudan and the government of Southern Sudan. Some of the main highlights are that the ceasefire is generally holding well, despite a few clashes that have been reported in areas such as Malakal and Abyei.
The government of national unity and Southern Sudan have adopted interim constitutions and established various key state institutions that commenced the process of postconflict reconstruction and the development of Southern Sudan and other war-affected areas.
The Sudanese interim national assembly and the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly have been formed. The national electoral Act was passed in July 2008, which established the national electoral commission and set the date for the Sudanese general elections for February 2010.
The governments of national unity and the Southern Sudan continue to share the oil revenue. However, notwithstanding the aforementioned progress, challenges still remain. There are some contentious issues whose resolution remains imperative for the success of the implementation process.
The demarcation of the border between the north and south is yet to be completed. The SPLM, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, and the NCP, the National Congress Party, have indefinitely suspended consultation on the matter, but have urged the government of South Africa, under the auspices of the AU, to assist in finding a solution to these difficulties.
The slow pace of preparing for the national elections in 2010 is a matter of concern. The electoral commission has started demarcating constituencies according to the results of the fifth national population census. However, the government of Southern Sudan has rejected the census results.
The referendum law, which was to be passed in terms of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement by the beginning of 2008, has not been finalised yet. More fundamental, though, is the acknowledgement by both parties that they have failed to achieve the critical objective of making the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, that is the provision for unity, attractive to all and sundry both in the north and the south.
The African Union is a guarantor of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and is represented on the Assessment and Evaluation Commission. As South Africa, in our capacity as chair of the AU Ministerial Committee on Postconflict Reconstruction and Development in the Sudan, we have engaged both the SPLM and the National Congress Party to encourage the effective implementation of the peace agreement.
The Sudan electoral commission has invited international observers to observe the elections, and South Africa will respond to the African Union if we are asked to be part of the team of AU observers. We will work with the parties and our international partners to encourage progress on the preparations for the 2011 self-determination referendum in the south. We will abide by whatever decision the people of Southern Sudan take, and we will assist them to prepare to take responsibility for whatever option they choose. Thank you. [Applause.]