Sudanese president to visit Juba “soon”, official
March 30, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – President Omer Al-Abshir will visit Juba soon, announced the Sudanese presidency on Saturday two weeks after the signing of a matrix to implement nine agreements he signed with his South Sudanese counterpart on 27 September 2012.
He added that Kiir renewed his invitation during a telephone call between the two presidents following the signing of mechanism to implement the Cooperation Agreement the two presidents signed in Addis Ababa last year.
On Thursday, South Sudan’s information minister, expected that Bashir’s visit to Juba would take place after easter holidays.
“Sudan government had suggested Easter Monday, but it’s a holiday for us here, Barnaba Benjamin Marial told journalists in Juba on Thursday.
The minister did not, however, disclose the exact date on which Kiir is expected his Sudanese counterpart, who will be making his first visit to South Sudan it seceded from it nearly two years ago.
Reacting to Barnaba’s statements on the same day, Emad, himself, had denied a possible visit to Juba within two weeks, saying that Bashir’s agenda does not include such visit as he prepares to address the parliament and to receive the Egyptian president who will be in Khartoum on 4 and 5 April.
Since a year ago, Bashir had been expected to visit Juba but it was cancelled after the seizure of Heglig by the South Sudanese army in April of 2012.
After the South Sudan independence, Kiir was in Khartoum on 8 October 2011, as Bashir was in Juba for the last time on 9 July of the same year to attend the celebration of South Sudan independence.
The two president are expected to discuss what they can do on the two remaining issues: disputed border areas and the referendum on Abyei future.
The two country recently agreed to form a joint committee to deal with the issues related to the rebel groups as they accuse each other of harbouring and supporting the armed movements from both sides.
The two sides have already activated the buffer zone and deployed joint patrols. Also, oil firms have started to prepare oil production and the exportation through Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
(ST)