Assembly/AU/4(XII) Page 10 43. In Southern Sudan, efforts continued to be made towards the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), building on the progress already made thanks to the cooperation between the two parties to the CPA. Among others, mention should be made of the enactment of the National Elections Act by the National Assembly on 7 July 2008, and the subsequent establishment by presidential decree of the National Electoral Commission (NEC), on 29 November 2008, as part of the preparation for the national elections scheduled to take place in 2009. Progress has also been made with regard to the implementation of the Abyei Roadmap of 8 June 2008. The parties agreed to refer their dispute over the Abyei permanent boundaries to "final and binding arbitration under the Permanent Court of Arbitration Optional Rules", which is expected to issue its final decision by June 2009. Finally, the Technical Ad hoc Border Committee established by the Presidency to demarcate precisely the 1/1/1956 North/South borderline is making sustained efforts to have this exercise completed as early as possible. 44. While the CPA implementation process has made significant strides, it is also evident that many challenges still lie ahead. These relate, among others, to the completion of the preparations for the conduct of the 2009 election and the 2011 referendum, the crucial issue of reconstruction and development in the South, national reconciliation and DDR. 45. During the period under review, efforts have continued to be made to relaunch the political process in Darfur. On 1 July 2008, the United Nations SecretaryGeneral and the Chairperson of the Commission, jointly, announced the appointment of Djibrill Yipèné Bassolé, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso, as the AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, in El Fasher. The Joint Chief Mediator took up his appointment on 1 August 2008, and has, since, undertaken extensive consultations with the Sudanese stakeholders. Other efforts to re-launch the political process include the establishment of a Ministerial Committee on Darfur under the joint chairmanship of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Amre Moussa, and the Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Ping. It is also worth noting the convening, in October 2008, of the Sudan People’s Forum (SPF) which was launched by President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir. The SPF was attended by senior leaders of most of Sudan’s main political parties and included numerous representatives from Darfur, although not from the nonsignatory armed movements. The outcome document of the meeting addresses the main elements of the conflict as a basis for further negotiations. 46. Another major development during the reporting period relates to the announcement, on 14 July 2008, by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) of his application for a warrant of arrest to be issued against President Al-Bashir. Meeting on 21st July 2008, the PSC requested the UN Security Council, in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of the Rome Statute of the ICC, to defer the process initiated by the ICC, taking into account the need to ensure that the ongoing peace efforts are not jeopardized, as well as the fact that, in the current circumstances, a prosecution may not be in the interest of justice and the victims. While in its resolution 1828(2008) of 31 July 2008, the Security Council took note of the PSC communiqué, having in mind concerns raised by some of its members regarding potential developments subsequent to the application by the ICC