Khartoum: GMS:
Mr. Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Vice-President of the Republic, leaves at mid current month to New York, presiding over the Sudan delegation participating in the meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations, which begins its meetings on the fourteenth of this month and scheduled for a couple of months. Taha’s heading of the delegation, which includes the Presidential Adviser in charge of Darfur file: Dr. Ghazi Salah al-Din and Minister of Foreign Affairs: Ali Ahmed Karti, and the Presidential Adviser Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, in addition to the concerned ambassadors at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs represent a symbolic significance to the mission.

The Sudan has a number of international pending issues, which preferably should be raised by a senior official in the federal government, especially as the First Vice President Salva Kir, mostly adopts Southern Sudan’s issues in his international participations. ForTaha this is his second international participation in six years; his first was when he led a delegation of the Sudan for the meetings of the General Assembly of the United Nations before the signing of the Naivasha agreement, and there he broke the good news of the greatest achievement in the modern history of Sudan: the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) that ended the longest war in the history of the African continent. And now the importance of Taha’s second mission springs from the knowledge that the implementation of the peace agreement is proceeding on to its final stages: the referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan, which is considered as the biggest and most dangerous challenge than all the previous ones. This, along with the fact that maintaining a united Sudan is the most important concern to the President of the Federal Government for the time being, makes Taha, in the opinion of international observers, the most suitable man to show and campaign for support to the situation in Sudan which will lead to peace and stability in the case of the referendum either led to unity or separation.

Informed Sources has not ruled out that Taha will be calling on the UN Security Council to withdraw the International Criminal Court file against the President, especially since Sudan has honoured all of its obligations to achieve peace in Southern Sudan and reached the final stages in the implementation of the (CPA)  provisions, and the country is also trying seriously to resolve the Darfur issue through Doha platform and through a comprehensive strategy which will currently be implemented at home to reinforce the efforts of the Doha . Observers believe that the Sudan has the right to be rewarded by the international community to withdraw allegations flouted against the Government by the Criminal Court during the last period,

in addition to that Mr. Taha will request, through this International Forum, the world to address Sudan debt issues, and will ask the United Nations, at least to make a statement or an appeal calling for the exemption of Sudan’s old debts, especially since the country is on the verge of a new phase that can not afford to be burdened by debts of the past.

Ambassador Osman Nafie, director of the Political Department of the Presidential Palace,  believes that Taha’s leadership of the Sudan’s delegation to the meetings of the UN General Assembly  is a strong indication that the Sudan is going through one of the most   important   stages of its   modern history, especially since it was on the verge of a referendum which will decide Unity or separation, that  in addition to the Darfur issue has reached an important stage towards a comprehensive  peace agreement that will put an end to the instability that bothered the province for several years.

Nafie considers the international and local importance given to the two issues, necessitated Taha’s chairmanship of the delegation, especially as the General Assembly of the United Nations is considered to be the largest international forum, that involves a large number of leaders of the world, the thing that will make this annual event a great opportunity for the Sudan to inform the interested international community of the latest steps made towards resolving those issues.

Taha’s heading of the delegation will give him an opportunity to brief the international leaders and the Secretary General of the United Nations, on the sidelines of meetings, of the developments that took place and the efforts made by Sudan to conduct the referendum like : issuing the law governing it, the formation of its high Commission, and the efforts made to find solutions to all the outstanding issues with specific reference to the post-referendum topics, especially the issues of debt, the joint forces, water and other of important issues.

According to ambassador Nafie  this session comes at a very important time for Sudan, because the coming months will determine whether The Sudan will be a unified country or a divided Sudan having two different delegations participating in such meetings.

Mr. Taha, according to Nafie, will confirm to the international community the government’s commitment to accepting the full results of the referendum in both cases: of unity or separation. If Southerners chose separation, the central government hopes for a peaceful neighborhood that keeps the interests of both countries. But meanwhile the government will seek by all legitimate means to strengthen the unity option. Taha will    emphasize this to the international community and that both partners, will cooperate during the remaining time in promoting and making unity the most attractive option.

The Sudanese delegation led by Taha will, according to “Rai Aam Newspaper”, be expected to raise the issues of the referendum and Darfur for the sake of explaining, and shedding detailed accurate lights of these issues to the international bodies and community concerned , in pursuit of winning support for comprehensive solutions.

In addition to that the Sudan will also participate actively in the meetings of the plenary session giving special attention to peace, security and development issues of the world.