Salva Kiir to visit South Kordofan

July 3, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s First Vice President and head of southern Sudan government will pay a three-day visit to South Kordofan next week, the state governor said today.

Ahmed Haroun the state governor and his deputy Abdel Aziz Hilu were in Juba last May to brief Kiir about agreement reached by the National Congress Party and the SPLM on the state level since their recent appointment. They also extended him an invitation to visit the region.

Haroun told the official SUNA that Kiir who will begin his visit on Tuesday, would hold a number of public meetings in the province particularly in Kadogli, Mejlad and Kauda. Kiir is also scheduled to visit the disputed area of Abyei.

South Kordofan is one three northern Sudan areas that have special status in the 2005 peace agreement. Kiir visit will be the first to a Sudanese state outside the southern Sudan. In the past it had been announced he would visit Darfur and other parts of the country.

The governor said a joint NCP-SPLM committee in the state completed its preparations for the reception of Salva Kiir Mayardit to stresses the commitment of the two peace partners to work as one body.

President Omer Al-Bashir visited South Kordofan last May when the national cabinet held one of its regular meetings in Kadogli, the state capital but Kiir didn’t take part in it.

(ST)