Bashir-Kiir meeting was organised without intermediary – foreign minister
July 14, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s foreign minister stated on Saturday that the Bashir – Kiir meeting in the Ethiopian capital was organised “in the Sudanese manner” without foreign mediators.
Many hoped that such meeting could take place on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit in order to ease tension between the two countries and to encourage their delegations to move forward in the talks over unresolved issues.
Speaking to the official news agency SUNA, Ali Ahmed Karti said the encounter between the two presidents was organised without any intermediary.
He further said this meeting marks a new stage in the bilateral relations that requires “building trust and how to discuss outstanding issues between the two countries”.
Sudan’s top diplomat emphasised this encounter will contribute to helping the negotiators of the two countries overcome many obstacles, including the psychological ones that were hampering solutions to the problems between Sudan and South Sudan.
He added that the discussions between the two presidents were cordial and frank.
They tackled the obstacles facing the negotiations alongside the problems experienced by Sudan as result to the presence of a number of rebel movements in the country, he stressed.
The two countries trade accusation of supporting rebel groups from both sides. They also failed during more than one month of negotiations, to define the line of a buffer zone to prevent rebel groups from carrying out cross border attacks.
The meeting was attended by South Sudan’s cabinet affairs minister Deng Alor and top negotiator Pagan Amum. From the Sudanese side there were defence minister Abdel Rahim Hussein and foreign minister Ali Karti.
(ST)