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UN / SOUTH SUDAN
STORY: UN / SOUTH SUDAN
TRT: 2.53
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 15 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – 2011 NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations headquarters
15 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan Hilde Johnson approaches microphone
3. Cutaway, journalist typing
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, Head of UNMISS:
“At the moment the South Sudanese have chosen to limit the cuts somewhat and to cushion the ah, the ah, austerities up to July when their new, their new financial year kicks in and they need a budget for the next year financial year July 2012 to June 2013. It is at point in time that we will have a better overview of what the economic consequences would be.”
5. Cutaway, journalists taking notes
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, Head of UNMISS:
“We will know if we are in one of three, of three scenarios. One, a best case scenario where there is an agreement and they are starting to, to open the tap and the oil income comes in again. Secondly whether there is a partial coverage of the funding gap, which will lead to significant austerity measures. Or whether we're in a worst case scenario where none of these factors kick in and there's a very, very significant cut. This will have huge implications of course for South Sudan.”
7. Cutaway, journalist typing
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, Head of UNMISS:
“We've seen armed groups ah, with uniform in formation with extremely advanced weaponry and very well organized. So it's not cattle raiding any more. These are, you know, historical traditions that are permeated with new and modern technology teria [phonetic] phones and weapons and that makes it a very different and difficult conflict to resolve.”
9. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilde Johnson, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in South Sudan, Head of UNMISS:
“We do know that the militia are operating, we do know that they have new weapons but we don’t have an overview of where the weapons are coming from.”
11. Cutaway, journalist taking notes
12. Med shot, Johnson leaves microphone
13. Cutaway, journalist typing
14. Wide shot, UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant approaches microphone
15. Cutaway, journalist typing
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Mark Lyall Grant, Permament Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations:
“Mr. Ladsous briefed on the progress that had been made at the recent talks this week made Addis Ababa between Sudan and South Sudan where they had initialled two agreements - a framework agreement on nationals in each other’s countries and secondly on the start of demarcation of the border. And there’s been agreement that there will be a summit in Juba at the beginning of April where those agreements would be signed and that would also trigger the next round of discussions on for instance oil and the other outstanding North-South issues.”
17. Cutaway, journalists typing
18. Med shot, Grant walks away from microphone
The UN special envoy in South Sudan Hilde Johnson briefed the Security Council today in a closed session on the implications of the oil shutdown and ongoing security issues in the newly independent country.
Johnson, who is also head of UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said the South Sudanese have currently chosen to limit the cuts “somewhat and to cushion the austerities” through July, when their new financial year kicks in. At that point, she said, “we will have a better overview of what the economic consequences would be.”
She outlined three possible scenarios. In the best case, there would be agreement between Sudan and South Sudan regarding the financing of the oil transit and “they are starting to open the tap and the oil income comes in again.” In the second case, a partial coverage of the funding gap would “will lead to significant austerity measures.”
She stressed that the worst case scenario would require “a very, very significant cut” in the state budget, which would have “huge implications” for South Sudan.
Describing recent deadly clashes between ethnic groups over cattle herds and other resources, she highlighted a difference between past traditional rivalries and the current violence
“We've seen armed groups with uniform in formation with extremely advanced weaponry,” she said. “So it's not cattle raiding any more.”
Now that the historical, traditional rivalries involved new, modern technology and weaponry, the conflict was “different and difficult conflict to resolve.”
Asked about the presence of militias continuing to operate in South Sudan, she said they had new weapons, but the UN was unsure where they were coming from.
UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, who is president of the Security Council this month, noted that the head of peacekeeping operations Hervé Ladsous also gave updated the 15-member body on the latest agreements between South Sudan and Sudan on the status of citizens of each state and the demarcation of their common border.
He noted that Sudan and South Sudan had reached an agreement to hold a summit in Juba in South Sudan at the beginning of April where those agreements would be signed. The next round of discussion would then be possible regarding oil and the other outstanding North-South issues, he added.
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