Secretary-General Welcomes Sudan-South Sudan Summit, Reiterating Call

for Urgent Resumption of Talks to Resolve Final Status of Abyei

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki‑moon:

The Secretary-General welcomes the holding of a summit between the Presidents of Sudan and South Sudan in Juba today, and takes note of the two Presidents’ intent to expedite the establishment of the Abyei Administration, Abyei Council and Abyei Police Service.  He also welcomes their decision to accelerate the full establishment of the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone by mid‑November.

The Secretary-General calls on both countries to urgently resume their consultations on the implementation of the 2012 African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) proposal to determine the final status of Abyei, and calls on Abyei community leaders to refrain from any unilateral initiatives which could increase tensions in the Abyei area.

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For information media • not an official record