South Africa Mbeki postpones Sudan’s visit

June 17, 2008 (PRETORIA) — South Africa’s foreign ministry announced today the postponement of a visit by its president to Sudan for talks on Darfur peacekeeping force and implementation of 2005 peace deal.

“The working visit to Sudan by President Thabo Mbeki has, through mutual agreement between the South Africa and Sudanese Governments, been postponed, said a statement issued in Pretoria on Tuesday.

The two day visit was due to begin on Tuesday.

President Mbeki who is also the chairman of the African Union post-conflict and reconstruction committee for Sudan used to visit the Sudan at least once per year to follow up the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the settlement of Darfur crisis.

Since 2006, South Africa president focused his efforts on the peacekeeping force for Darfur. During the adjourned visit He was supposed to meet Omer Bashir in Khartoum and Salva Kiir in Juba.

The visit had to discuss the important delay in the deployment of hybrid peacekeeping troops in the war-torn Darfur since six months after the transfer of authority from African Union.

Aziz Pahad, the Deputy Foreign Minister said last week that South Africa believed the presidential visit was “very important” at a time of crisis in a three-year peace agreement between north and south Sudan..

On June 8, officials from the northern, southern Sudan ruling parties signed a roadmap agreement to end the three year deadlock over the implementation of Abyei Protocol. This deal came after heavy fighting that resulted in displacement of around 50 thousands civilians.

(ST)