Sudan Vision Daily News Paper Official Website - Washington Assists South Sudan Secession, Admits SPLM

Staff Writer

The United States is helping southern Sudan prepare for secession by ejecting a chuck of $1 billion in annual US aid to achieve that objective, admitted head of Sudanese People's Liberation Movement's mission to the United States,

Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, adding that the aid to south Sudan is going to build roads, train police and professionalize a separate army capable of protecting the region, according to him.
"The United States government, one of their goals now, is to make sure southern Sudan in 2011 is a viable state," he said.
Mr. Gatkuoth noted that elections might lead to war if you feel "cheated" as he described.
Earlier a Sudanese newspaper reported that US special envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, who recently visited the country, told a high profile Sudanese official that southern Sudan is heading toward secession.
This comes at the time SPLM agreed with the ruling National Congress party (NCP) to retable the law of referendum which was approved last Tuesday for a re-vote next Monday. The SPLM had earlier walked out of the parliament in a protest to an amendment allowing southerners living in north Sudan to vote in the referendum scheduled for January 2010.
Ibrahim Ghandour, NCP leading figure, said that SPLM and NCP had agreed in principle to refer the law to the parliament, adding that they [SPLM, NCP] would continue dialogues on amendment to the law.
Riak Machar, SPLM deputy chairman, told reporters that the two parties had agreed to annul the amendment and refer the bill to the parliament on Monday. He added that the parliament speaker has not endorsed the bill yet; therefore, the parliament can lawfully amend the text.
The parliament adjourned its deliberations on bills regarding popular consultations in south Kordufan and the Blue Nile states for 2009 as well as the bill on unions to coming days for further consultations.
While addressing a session, parliament deputy speaker, Mohammed Al-Hassan Al-Amin said the bills would be debated on coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the term of the parliament expires on December 30, 2009.