All options on table for Uganda

The political secretary of the ruling party of Sudan and tourism minister Dr Hassabo Mohammed Abdul Rahman has revealed that “Khartoum is profoundly studying the hostile positions of Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, after his involvement and his obvious support to the South Sudan government, and his encouragement of its continuous aggression against Sudanese territory, like what happened lately in Heglig”. He added that all options were on the table for dealing with Museveni's regime. Hassabo said Monday evening in a statement to Arabstoday: “This behaviour from Uganda is contrary to international norms and the African Union charter which ban the interference of states in the internal issues of another.” He said Uganda had "exceeded intervention and urged for aggression". The minister denied that his government agencies had different positions about dealing with the decisions of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union and the UN Security Council, which call for a cessation of hositlities between the two states and to engage in negotiations that would end the conflict  between Khartoum and Juba. He said his party has announced its agreement, but with reservations, for the UN's decision. The minister added: “Halting aggression does not force Sudan to refrain from defending its land, the gains of its people or their security.” He confirmed that his party was comitted to settling the security issue with the South before the engagement in any negotiations between the two countries. The Sudanese government will not participate in any negotiations before it obtains clear guarantees and commitments from Juba that it will undertake to pay for the losses caused by its occupation of Heglig in April." Hassabo said his government called on the international community to impose the maximum penalty possible on South Sudan for its "aggression on the Sudanese soil, and sabotage of oil installations". He explained: “The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) - South Sudan's ruling party - is leading its people to security, political and economical complexities, so how can we engage in new negotiations while the SPLM assaults Sudanese areas in South Kordofan and the south east of Darfur, and hosts rebels, agents and mercenaries?” The minister alleged that many of the South's parties opposed South Sudan president Salva Kiir’s government's "conspiracy against Sudanese security". "But these parties can do nothing in the meantime as the SPLM stands lookout for whoever states their opinion frankly about what is going on in Juba, the conspiracies against Sudan or even against the South's people themselves,” he said. He concluded his remarks saying: “The SPLM and the Juba government, by issuing a map through which they claimed Heglig was a South Sudanese area, submitted a testimony to the world, which condemned their aggression in Heglig, that they still bear ill-will towards Sudan.”