President of Southern Sudan, Abel Alier, said on Tuesday (28 October) that he was "well satisfied" with the "considerable" development in the region since the Addis Ababa Agreement was signed in 1972.

President Alier told a news conference in Juba on tuesday that despite limited resources the government had achieved much in improving the Southern region in the past three years.

The vitally important agreement led to the end of a 17-years civil war between the Sudanese government and the Anya Nya southern Sudanese rebels.

The South gained regional autonomy within a federal structure of government and dropped its claims of secession. It was granted a Regional People's Assembly with a High Executive Council, of which Mr.alier is the President. He is also the Second vice-President of Sudan.

The People's Assembly can postpone legislature passed by the central Government if it considered the bill to be against the best interests of the region. However, co-operation between both governing bodies has been excellent.

He said that before the agreement the south was a "shattered community, with most of the areas having no people in them."
"Southern Sudan was not in any developed before independence and after independence .. 17 years after independence .. it was a theatre of conflict and instability," he said.

President Alier also commented on improving economic relations with East Africa. He said that in the future there would be a need for "economic and commercial co-operation" with East Africa, but at this stage the Sudan was looking to the bigger markets of Europe.