Bashir and Kiir might meet in Ethiopia, not South Sudan
March 12, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan and South Presidents Omar al-Bashir and Salva Kiir might meet in Addis Ababa not in Juba as it was reported previously, a reliable source told Sudan Tribune in Khartoum.
The talks over the outstanding issues between the two countries are deadlocked as the African mediators lost hope of achieving progress with the two teams negotiating in Addis Ababa.
The major divergences are seen on the oil and border issues. However, Sudan said its ready to show some flexibility and reconsider its demand for $36 per barrel, but it blames Juba for refusing any compromise.
The South Sudanese delegation put new conditions on the negotiating table such as the participation of foreign observers in the implementation of any deal they can reach with Khartoum.
The mediation proposed a presidential summit to break the deadlock and avoid a failure of the process, the source said, denying recent reports about progress on border demarcation and citizenship issues
It further confirmed the formation of a joint committee between the two sides to examine issues related to the citizens of both countries after the failure of talks on the citizenship and nationality, as Juba accused Sudan of holding 35,000 Southerners as “slaves“.
Last Friday, South Sudan top negotiator Pagan Amum told reporters that Sudan declined to discuss the fate of 35,000 South Sudanese citizens abducted during the war before the 2005 peace agreement.
Sudan denied the accusations and charged South Sudan of seeking to topple the talks.
Sabir Mohamed al-Hassan, a member of the Sudanese government delegation stated that they proposed the setting up of a joint committee over the citizenship because the talks are expected to close on 16 March, while the 8 April will see the end of the delay given to the South Sudanese, in Sudan, to regularise their status.
(ST)