Sudanese First Vice-President meets rebel SLM’s Minawi

June 4, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The First Vice-President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, yesterday met the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), Minni Minawi, in Yei town. Meanwhile, SLM faction leader Abd-al-Wahid Nur was absent, and Ibrahim Khalil was away in Slovenia.

Since nothing was reported on the meeting between the two, the movement, which signed an agreement with the government last month, warned against the collapse of the agreement, and reiterated the SLM’s call for international peace-keeping forces to be allowed into Darfur considering it the shield against overwhelming chaos that could devastate the region.

The official spokesman of the SLM, Esam Eddine al-Haj, said that Minawi had actually arrived in Yei and met Salva Kiir Mayardit. However, he said he was unable to contact Manawi to find out the outcome of the discussions.

Al-Haj, who is based in Italy, said a delegation from SLM would arrive in Khartoum within the next two weeks, followed by the leader of the movement Minni Minawi, to implement the Abuja agreement.

(ST)