Sudan’s Bashir delegates Salva Kiir to receive Ugandan Museveni
Oct 23, 2006 (JUBA) — Southern Sudan indicated that Fritst Vice President was delegated by Sudanese president to receive the visiting Ugandan head of state, a press report said.
South Sudan Information Minister Samson Kwaje, in an interview with Ugandan Daily Monitor said, “the First Vice President duly informed President Omar al-Bashir about the visit and got a blessing. He said Salva Kiir was delegated to receive Museveni.
“Sudan is still one country and any head of state coming on the Sudanese soil must first come to Khartoum, meet the President, then meet the first vice-president,” Ali al-Sadek, a Sudanese government publicist said on the State radio.
On the other hand, Kampala said no harm was done. Ambassador James Mugume, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs laughed off suggestions by Sudan that Museveni’s seven-hour visit on Saturday was “a diplomatic breach”, although it evidently rubbed Khartoum the wrong way.
“It is not true that there was any breach,” Ambassador Mugume said by telephone. “I talked to our ambassador [in Khartoum, Mull Katende] himself. We sent him a diplomatic note and I asked Katende to send the note to Khartoum. We did everything by the book. We sent the names of all people travelling, including the advance party. I personally talked to Katende.”
Mugume said individuals bent on spoiling relations between Sudan and Uganda orchestrated Khartoum’s weekend outburst.
“I think there was a political motive. Whoever is talking about the breach is doing it for political reasons and wants to heap up anti-Uganda sentiments,” he said.
Mugume said the moment Kampala’s embassy in Khartoum acknowledged receipt of the diplomatic note, “There was no need in other words to meet President Bashir. The issue was to boost the peace talks, and everybody in Khartoum, Juba and Kampala would agree to that.”
Said Mugume: “There are three types of visits; a state visit, a working visit, where the President must visit the host and then there is the issue specific visit. This particular visit was to beef up the peace talks between Uganda and the LRA. It was not a state visit.”
(ST/Daily Monitor)