Southern Sudan president rules out return to war

Speaking to reporters at an outdoor news conference in Juba, he said: "I will like to reiterate today that there is no return to war. The referendum is not the end of the journey, but rather it is the beginning of a new one."But the past is never far behind: clashes between rebel militias and south Sudan's army have left six people dead on Friday (January 7) and Saturday.

The attacks cast a shadow over celebrations in other parts of the south -- attended by Hollywood star George Clooney and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter -- of the countdown to Sunday's (January 9) vote on whether the oil-producing region should secede.

The reports were a reminder of the deep rifts in the undeveloped south, which has been plagued by ethnic killings, rival militias and cattle rustling raids.

Wearing a black cowboy hat, Kiir encouraged voters to take to the polls peacefully. "We are left only with a few hours to make the most vital and extremely important decision of our lifetime. I urge you all to make your decision in a peaceful manner as we end the longest journey for the accomplishment of the agreement," he said.

Kiir spoke only moments after US senator John Kerry had addressed the media having arrived from Khartoum where he had held meetings with president Bashir and other senior officials.

Kerry said a successful plebiscite could mean that the long-delayed referendum in the oil-rich Abyei region could potentially take place this year.

"I anticipate, based on the conversations I had in Khartoum that if people execute in good faith that is always the task; that if they execute in good faith, I believe many of those decisions could be made in a matter of weeks or months and they could be made well before July of this year," said Kerry.

There is still concern among southerners that the referendum may lead to another war with the north, especially over Abyei which is supposed to hold its own referendum in order to decide whether to join the north or the south.

Reconciliation will require a strong move towards democracy, according to former U.S. President Carter, speaking in Khartoum.

Carter said that after months of aggressive rhetoric and provocative north-south violence, it appeared that President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had decided to accept the inevitable secession and that when it happens, North and South would need symbiotic ties.

"It's very important in my opinion that after the referendum is completed and after the CPA is implemented, there would a sustained close consultation of an official nature between the North and the southern nation's governments, so that they can resolve these kinds of differences in a permanent and peaceful way," said Carter.

Carter said he was concerned that if the south were to secede Bashir would not allow dual citizenship or southerners to take part in the civil service.

"I'm concerned about it, we just met with President Bashir quite at length this afternoon and he made it clear that there is not going to be any dual citizenship, that there will be an accommodation in the North of all different kinds of various religions, that they will be protected under the law and that all of the rights of the citizens for ownership of property, for holding jobs and so forth in the private sector, will be honoured. But he made it clear that in the civil service, including I presume the army, that southerners who want to maintain their southern citizenship will not be permitted to serve and this is something that I regretted hearing,'' he said.

Carter, who has been visiting Sudan for almost 25 years, said he was surprised at the strength of public opinion towards secession in the south.