By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, March 12 -- After Sudan and South Sudan reached a 17 page “Implementation Matix,” the UN Security Council did not mark it with a press statement or even the lowest form of Council output, press elements.
Instead, multiple sources tell Inner City Press, focus shifted to things Sudanese Permanent Representative Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said upon his arrival, in a bright white suit, at the Security Council.
Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman told Inner City Press, “Last week, they were pushing hard for a Presidential Statement to condemn and deplore Sudan on retarding and impeding. Look what happened. The success and achievement and accomplishment reached today, this morning, by signing the the implementation matrix of the nine agreements proves that there are some people here, few, who are hasty... I don't want to be tough on them. We need patience. We need resilience. We need wisdom.”
Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman went in, then came back out, adding to Inner City Press, “Imagine if that was adopted.”
Inside the Council, Inner City Press is told, these quotes were read out. The article had "Surreal" in the headline; the theory was, every Daffa has his day.
As recounted later on the record by Ambassador Susan Rice then Russia's Vitaly Churkin, Council president for March, Russia proposed a press statement to congratulate Sudan and South Sudan for their agreement.
The US objected, wanting to include the issues of Abyei and of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan and Sudan blocking or delaying negotiations with the SPLM-North.
Russia shifted down to press elements, not official in any way, on the theory that would give more flexibility, Churkin told Inner City Press. But the US still objected.
According to Churkin, all of the Permanent Five members of the Council except the US would have agreed, to the press elements.
Notably, when France's Gerard Araud exited Inner City Press asked him about the prospects for the draft Presidential Statement.
Araud said the US will circulate a new drafts, with “slight amendments.” But others expect more significant amendments, especially with the press elements blocked.
Inner City Press asked Ambassador Rice about Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman's comments, and about whether the African Union mediation team might not bear some blame for twice moving the date of the Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile talks.
Ambassador Rice said she'd leave it for Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman to speak for the government of Sudan. She said the mediators had set two dates so far in March, but Khartoum refused to show up.
Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, when he took to the microphone, called it a historical day, saying it is nearly spring, it is already the Russian Spring. That DOES start on March 1. But the phrase has another resonance.
Inner City Press soon have more, on the Matrix and the Matrix itself. Watch this site.
