JUBA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- South African Deputy President David Mabuza on Thursday suggested that the contentious issue of the number of states by South Sudan's warring parties be subjected to arbitration after proposed additional period is over.
Mabuza, who has been mediating between the government and the main opposition group the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in opposition (SPLM-IO) over the unresolved number of states issue, said they have proposed an additional 90 days for the parties to agree to reach conclusion on the number of states.
"On the resolution on the number of states, the parties have different views. We now can say that we are zoning down to a view which we still need to round up. We have presented the view to the president (Salva Kiir), we have presented the view to Riek Machar, we need to present this view to all the remaining parties," Mabuza told journalists in Juba after meeting President Kiir alongside other African envoys.
"The view seeks to say we (parties) all agree that we are going to form the government of national unity but we are going to subject the question of the number of states to arbitration, a mechanism that is going to take 90 days which is the proposal on the table. Ninety days that will go into the government of national unity," said Mabuza.
"This is what we are proposing and our feeling is that the government does not have a problem with the proposal and we are now taking this proposal to all the other parties," he added.
President Kiir in 2015 decreed the increment in the number of states to the current 32 states.
The SPLM-IO under Machar has proposed reverting to at least 23 states but the government is adamant.
"It's important to note that all the parties into the (peace) agreement have agreed to the formation of the government of national unity come day of the 22nd of February or even before that date," said Mabuza.
The government in early December last year, mooted plan of holding referendum vote to determine the still contentious issue of the number of states and their boundaries.
Tut Kew Gatluak, Presidential security advisor on Wednesday disclosed that Kiir and Machar agreed to continue with further consultations on the number of states, adding that the two leaders hope to eventually break the deadlock on the issue.
Gatluak also said that they will go ahead with the formation of the government to meet the February deadline, while they continue to discuss pending issues on the security arrangements.
The parties failed to form the transitional unity government in May last year and requested six months extension of the pre-transitional period to resolve outstanding issues which include security arrangements and the number of states.
However, they again failed to meet the Nov. 12 deadline they promised before agreeing to another 100 days extension of the pre-transitional period which expires in February.
