Sudan, S.Sudan near deal to restart oil exports -Norway
Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:29pm GMT
* Two sides deeply mistrustful after decades of war
* Talks focused on border security pact
* Resuming oil exports would help both countries (Norway comment on
progress, summit)
By Ulf Laessing
ADDIS ABABA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Former civil war foes Sudan and South Sudan
are heading towards a deal this week that would allow the resumption of oil
exports vital to the economies of both African countries, a Western official
involved in the talks said on Tuesday.
Much could still go wrong, given profound mutual mistrust and failure to
fully implement previous agreements, diplomats said, but the mood at the
African Union-brokered talks appeared to be much brighter than in previous
rounds.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan last year under a 2005 peace deal that ended
decades of civil war but the two have yet to resolve a litany of issues
related to partition. Border clashes almost boiled over into full-scale war
in April, although tensions have abated since then.
Norway's Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan said he was confident both
presidents would heed a call from the African Union (AU) to come to Addis
Ababa to wrap up the two weeks of talks before a U.N. Security Council
deadline of Sept. 22.
"We appreciate the strong efforts the parties have made towards the
outstanding issues and we are confident that they will reach an agreement
before the end of the deadline," Endre Stiansen told Reuters on the
sidelines of the talks.
"I think it will be a summit later on this week. The date I cannot say but I
think there will be a summit. And the summit is necessary to close this
deal," he said.
Norway is a mediator in the talks because it advises both nations on oil
issues and is respected as a neutral party.
Neither side would confirm that Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and
his southern counterpart, Salva Kiir, would hold a summit in the Ethiopian
capital before the U.N. deadline, but diplomats at the talks in a five-star
hotel were optimistic.
"We've come a long way. There are still issues that need to be solved but
it's doable. The atmosphere at the talks is positive," one diplomat told
Reuters.
BUFFER ZONE
The landlocked South shut down its oil output - which accounted for about 98
percent of its state revenues - in January in a row with Khartoum over how
much it should pay to export oil through the north to Red Sea ports.
But the two are "very close" to a final oil transport accord, another
diplomat said, adding that the sides were discussing technical aspects of
restarting production.
"Discussions for a final oil deal are in the last stage. There is no big
obstacle left," the diplomat said.
Diplomats say the main goal now is to get Sudan to agree to a demilitarised
border buffer zone, a first step toward settling broader disputes over the
volatile, poorly demarcated frontier.
Sudan objects to a map proposed by the AU which puts a 14-km (8.7-mile)
strip inside the South's territory. The land is fertile grazing ground for
Arab tribes allied to Khartoum.
Diplomats said the two sides were discussing a deal that would see South
Sudan's army pull out of the area, with its ultimate fate to be decided
later.
"There is huge pressure on Sudan to say yes to the map. Experts are now
discussing how to work around Sudan's security concerns," said a diplomatic
source close to the South's delegation. "If Khartoum says no they will be
blamed for the failure so they will probably move towards a compromise."
Once a buffer zone has been agreed, southern oil exports can resume, which
would give a lift to both economies and an incentive to both sides to keep
discussing other, more complex issues. But one of the most daunting - the
fate of the contested Abyei border region - will not be solved in this round
of talks.
Western powers hope for more significant progress once the sides agree to
resume oil exports, which would take several months because the pipelines
were flooded with water and some oil fields damaged during fighting in
April. (Editing by Alexander Dziadosz and Pravin Char)
* Kenyan forces advance to within 50 km of port city
* Kismayu was nerve centre of rebels' southern operations
* Capture of city may not deliver knock-out blow
By Abdi Sheikh
MOGADISHU, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Somali militant group al Shabaab has pulled
its commanders out of the port city of Kismayu, leaving foot soldiers to
defend its last bastion against advancing African troops, residents and
Kenya's military said on Tuesday.
The al Qaeda-linked rebels have lost strongholds across southern and central
Somalia in the past year in the face of advances by African Union forces,
including Kenyan troops.
The Horn of Africa nation, a battleground in the U.S.-led war on militant
Islam, is seen as a threat to regional stability.
While the capture of Kismayu - the hub of al Shabaab's southern operations -
would likely weaken the rebels' military capacity and morale, it is unlikely
to deliver the knock-out blow hoped for by Mogadishu and its regional
allies.
Western diplomats expect the insurgents will retreat into the hinterlands
and resort to guerrilla-style hit-and-run raids and urban bombings.
Kenyan forces have overrun several militant outposts to the north and
southwest of Kismayu in the past two days, pushing to within 50 km (30
miles) of Somalia's second biggest city.
The abandonment of Kismayu by rebel commanders amounted to an acceptance of
defeat, Kenya's military spokesman said. "Kismayu is poised for capture. We
don't expect any resistance once we get to the city," Colonel Cyrus Oguna
told Reuters.
Al Shabaab's spokesman for military operations, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab,
said the city would not be surrendered.
"We shall defend Kismayu. We have held off Kenyan troops for a year," he
said, referring to Kenya's deployment of troops inside Somalia in October
following a string of attacks on tourists and aid workers blamed on the
rebels.
BRACED FOR CITY'S FALL
In Kismayu's narrow, whitewashed alleyways where minarets dominate the
skyline, residents braced for the city's fall. Several hundred civilians on
Tuesday fled on donkey carts, mini-buses and lorries, those staying put
said.
"Al Shabaab have evacuated their families and supplies. Fighters are
returning from the front lines (outside the city)," said one shopkeeper who
gave his name as Hussein.
"We're not seeing many al Shabaab fighters, only a few men, nor do we see
their luxury cars," said resident Ismail Sugow.
Kismayu residents said the militants' radio station, Radio Andalus, had
stopped broadcasting on Monday, cutting off the rebel leadership from
supporters in the city and beyond.
Al Shabaab said technical problems had forced the station off-air and denied
reports fighters were fleeing.
The Kenyan military's Oguna said the noose was tightening on Kismayu as
Kenyan troops closed in on the city from all sides. He declined to give a
timeframe for a final assault.
Despite some draconian rules al Shabaab has imposed that include amputation
of criminals' limbs and the banning of music and watching football, the
rebels have retained pockets of support in areas under their control.
Local elder Suleiman Nur said there was widespread opposition to the Ras
Kamboni militia group that is supporting the Kenyan and Somali government
forces.
Ras Kamboni's leader Ahmed Madobe was a former Islamist commander and
governor of Kismayu but was driven out of the city by al Shabaab in 2009.
"Al Shabaab and the residents drove out the Ras Kamboni militia. Some
residents are ready to join al Shabaab in the fight or in the guerrilla
attacks that follow," said Nur. (Additional reporting and writing by Richard
Lough in Nairobi; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Pravin Char)
C Thomson Reuters 2012 All rights reserved
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Received on Tue Sep 18 2012 - 14:51:01 EDT
