Assembly/AU/3 (X) Page 12 and the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan and the establishment of the institutions provided for in the Agreement, as well as the general compliance with the ceasefire, a number of challenges are yet to be overcome by the parties. It is against this background that the PSC, at its 89th meeting held on 24 August 2007, urged the parties, with the support of AU member States, to intensify their efforts to address the outstanding issues in the implementation of the CPA, including the Abyei Protocol, the full redeployment of forces, the complete formation and deployment of the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), the demarcation of the North-South border and wealth sharing, and ensure that all the necessary steps are taken in preparation for the forthcoming elections as stipulated in the CPA. 53. In view of the tension between the parties to the CPA and the implications thereof, the PSC convened yet another meeting on 27 November 2007 to review the situation. On that occasion, the PSC expressed its deep concern with regards to the difficulties encountered in the implementation process of the CPA and the suspension by the SPLM of its participation in the GoNU. The PSC stressed that failure to address the outstanding issues in the implementation process of the CPA could jeopardize the significant progress achieved thus far, with serious consequences for peace and stability in the Sudan and in the entire region. 54. On 11 December 2007, following extensive discussions between the two partners to the CPA, the SPLM announced that its ministers would soon be rejoining the GoNU. The parties further agreed on other confidence building measures aimed at strengthening the relations between the North and the South. Two weeks later, the SPLM designated ministers were sworn in as members of GoNU, thus ending two months of deadlock that threatened to derail the implementation process of the CPA. 55. In its communiqué of 24 August 2007, the PSC requested the Commission to take all the necessary steps to fully support the implementation of the CPA, including through the appointment of a new Special Envoy and the establishment of an appropriately staffed AU Liaison Office in Khartoum, with an Office in Juba. At the time of finalizing this report, steps were underway to establish the AU Office and appoint the Special Envoy. ii) Darfur 56. During the period under review, efforts have continued to be made to reativate the peace process in Darfur. The AU Special Envoy for Darfur, Salim Ahmed Salim, and his UN counterpart, Jan Elliason, supported by their respective teams, intensified their consultations with the Sudanese parties, as well as with a wide range of Darfurian and other stakeholders, with a view to preparing for the start of the substantive negotiations. Among other issues, these consultations focused on determining the parties’ positions on the venue, agenda, format and modalities for their participation, as well as on the organization of workshops to enhance their understanding of the issues to be discussed. 57. The Special Envoys also invited the leaders of the Movements to meetings in Arusha in Tanzania, and N’djamena- in Chad, in August and September 2007, respectively, in an effort to provide a convenient forum for consultations among themselves. On its part and in order to assist the Movements to unify their ranks and to form a common negotiating position, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement