To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the implementation of the border ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the area of Abyei in Sudan in July 2009; and if he will make a statement.

The implementation of the Abyei ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration made in July 2009 is a key part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). We are concerned that, despite public commitment by both the National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement to implement the ruling, progress remains significantly behind schedule. We understand that only a small number of border markers along the 230 kilometre border have been placed. Continuing uncertainty over the border increases potential tensions and hinders implementation of other CPA milestones.

We continue to press both parties to ensure that border demarcation, as well as other commitments on Abyei, are urgently completed. A representative of our embassy in Khartoum visited Abyei in early December 2009 as part of a joint delegation with the US embassy and the Assessment and Evaluation Commission. The delegation raised our concerns directly with Government and other interlocutors.