President Hu invites Sudan’s Salva Kiir to visit China

Feb 2, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The visiting President Hu Jintao has invited the Sudanese First Vice President Salva Kiir to visit China to discuss Southern Sudan development.

The Chinese President Hu Jintao met Friday with the Sudanese First Vice president Salva Kiir at the Hilton Hotel in Khartoum. Hu Jintao at the end of the meeting invited Salva Kiir to visit Beijing to discuss who China can contribute to Southern Sudan development.

Salva Kiir accepted the invitation and promised to come with specific demands. It was agreed that the visit would be prepared through diplomatic channels.

The president Hu affirmed during the meeting China’s support to peace process in the country including the CPA, the Darfur Peace Agreement and Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement, the foreign minister said today.

Foreign Minister Lam Akol told the press that the Chinese president and Salva Kiir discussed relations between Sudan and China and how to boost and strengthen ties so as to serve the benefits of the peoples of the two countries.

Salva Kiir who didn’t came to Khartoum since the famous confrontation between him and president Omar al-Bashir during the celebration of second anniversary of the CPA, has just arrived to Khartoum in order to meet the Chinese president.

Salva Kiir had visited Beijing before the signing of the CPA. At that time, Chinese government invited the late John Garang but he charged Kiir to lead the SPLM delegation to China.

(ST)