Kerry is in Sudan and per this article will be there for the week leading up to the referendum

[karynnj]

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry (D-MA) arrived in Sudan on Tuesday, where he will spend the entire week in the lead up to the long-awaited Jan. 9 referendum that could lead to Southern Sudan's emergence as an independent country.

"Sudan is at a pivotal moment," Kerry said in a statement. "The United States played an important role in ending the civil war in Sudan and making the vote this Sunday possible. Our commitment to the Sudanese people will extend beyond the referendum, whatever its outcome, as we work to improve economic and humanitarian conditions in the region."

This is Kerry's fourth trip to Sudan since first traveling there in April 2009. He met with senior leaders from the North and the South during his last trip in October. Last September, Kerry introduced the Sudan Peace and Stability Act of 2010, which calls for the U.S. government to provide increased aid to Southern Sudan, develop contingency planning in case violence breaks out, review existing sanctions if the country splits into two, appoint a full-time senior official to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and develop a multi-year strategy for helping end the Darfur tragedy.

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/04/kerry_to_spend_week_in_sudan

picture:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5gDOoETrNJMKjSJx-_idxKtAmShPw?docId=photo_1294156041511-1-0&size=l

From this article, it now looks very good that this will happen without violence - http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Countdown-Continues-for-Southern-Sudans-Big-Vote---112874094.html

Another article suggests the US government thinks things will go well, though there will be post referendum issues.

“We believe that the right signals are being sent both in North and South in terms of the upcoming referendum and respecting the results. So the environment, we think, is constructive leading into this weekend,” U.S. state department spokesperson Philip J. Crowley told reporters during the briefing on Monday.

“I would say at this point that we are optimistic about the referendum this coming weekend. Sudan and Southern Sudan have come a long way over the past few months,” he added.

He acknowledged that there are still outstanding issues to be resolved between the North and South in reference to post-referendum arrangements such as citizenship, wealth sharing, international agreements, national debt and border demarcation.

http://www.sudantribune.com/U-S-says-environment-in-Sudan,37483

[karynnj]

1. Kerry is encouraged by what he has seen in Sudan

"The speech by President Bashir here (on December 31) as well as his comments in Juba yesterday are extremely encouraging," Kerry told journalists, after a meeting in the Sudanese capital with influential presidential adviser Ghazi Salaheddine.

"They're very positive, very constructive, and I think it sets a good stage for the events that begin in the next days," Kerry said.

Almost four million southern Sudanese are registered to participate in the January 9-15 referendum, during which they will get the chance to vote on whether to secede or to remain united with the north.

"We look forward to a successful referendum which is the precursor to a stronger and new relationship with the United States and other countries," Kerry added.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=43450

(Note this is an Arab source and may be biased towards Northern Sudan.)

[Luftmensch067]

2. Korean coverage, too!

Sudan's north-south civil war killed at least 2 million people and destabilized much of the region.
A peace deal in 2005 ended this bloody war, and in an effort to make sure none of the current issues lead the people back to war, US Senator John Kerry visited Sudan to hold meetings with Sudanese leaders.
During his visit to Khartoum, Kerry held talks with Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie, the assistant to the President of Sudan as well as Sudan's First Vice President Salva Kiir who will be running for Presidency of South Sudan come April.
The presidential elections are set to begin on January 9th.
And fierce rounds of discussions and negotiations are expected with issues such as oil-sharing, a disputed border and citizenship topping the list.
Many fear the ensuing conflict by the north and south over the fate of the disputed Abyei region may trigger another civil war.
During the talks with Sudanese officials, Senator Kerry praised Omar el Bashir, the current President of Sudan on the leader's promise to support the south after its looming independence referendum.

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=111185&code=Ne8&category=1

[karynnj]

3. Kerry's comments on improvement in US ties

Some improvement will come if the referendum happens and the results are accepted - then they need to fix the situation in Darfur for further improvement.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry says Khartoum will win quick U.S. incentives if an independence referendum in the south goes smoothly, but further improvement of ties depends on progress toward peace in the separate conflict in Darfur

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/kerry-darfur-integral-to-798035.html

(this is just 4 paragraphs long, so I was not sure what I could quote.

[karynnj]

4. A nice article that speaks of Kerry's effort - and a nice photo

Nice article on Kerry's diplomacy for Obama in trying to move Sudan to a more peaceful place. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i5kEGECgp0uC9mzBA73sQqWK0o1A?docId=CNG.a873154189fae54fc673166df8ae65f2.611


Cool photo of Kerry speaking to a large group of Sudanese:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5g-RVYfzGWRQ1Ep3q_DaYfaGEfsZA?docId=photo_1294431905458-1-0&size=l

More information on the trip:

Kerry, who is also the Chairman of the U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, arrived to El Fasher along with seven members of the delegation. They were welcomed by UNAMID (UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur) Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari and other senior officials.
<snip>
The delegation further paid a visit to the governor of North Darfur. Then, they flew to Shangil Tobaya, approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of El Fasher, to visit internally displaced people after clashes in the area last December between armed movements and government forces.

UNAMID peacekeepers were recognized for their efforts to preserve peace and stability to the troubled region that just emerged from two decades of war between the northern-based Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the south.

"We have great respect for what you're doing, and we hope that your lives and the lives of the Darfurians and of the Sudanese will change over the course of the next year much more dramatically," Kerry told peacekeepers.

http://wireupdate.com/wires/13916/u-s-senator-john-kerry-visits-sudan-ahead-of-souths-referendum/

There was no information on who other than Kerry is in the delegation - whether Senators, Congressmen, SFRC staff, or state department people.

[karynnj]

5. Kerry meets with S Sudan leader and gives him a cowboy hat

http://195.190.28.213/node/8177

He also visited Dafur and spoke of how that needs to be dealt with.

The United States and other powers should back a fresh round of "high profile" peace talks to resolve Sudan's Darfur conflict as current efforts are not working, influential U.S. Senator John Kerry said on Friday.

Kerry told Reuters in an interview that negotiations run by the United Nations and the African Union and hosted by Qatar's government had gone "under the radar" and needed to be moved to a more prominent venue, supported by more international players.
< it looks like that conflict is NOT moving in the right direction >

Sudan last week pulled its negotiators out of the Qatari capital Doha, the scene of months of floundering discussions between Khartoum and Darfur's fractured insurgent factions, many of whom have boycotted parts of the proceedings.

Clashes between Khartoum's forces and all Darfur rebel groups, even with the only one that signed a 2006 peace accord, have reignited in recent months, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE70700R20110108

This suggests the complexity of the multiple problems. Even in the best case, where the referendum goes smoothly and the period of splitting the two countries goes amicably - the latter being prone to violence, there still is the issue of Darfur.

[karynnj]

6. Obama op-ed in the NYT on what is happening in Sudan

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/opinion/09obama.html?hp

Here is an African article with many Kerry quotes:
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/Obama%20team%20in%20strong%20push%20for%20peaceful%20split/-/2558/1086266/-/m17f3h/-/