President Kiir’s visit to Khartoum opens “new page”
November 5, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s foreign affairs minister has hailed president Salva Kiir’s visit to neighbouring Sudan as a success.
“We can say that this is a new page – a new page of cooperation; a new page of working for peace in South Sudan, as well as in the Sudan,” said Benjamin.
According to the minister, the one-day visit, at the invitation of Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir, had to be extended when the meeting between the two leaders ran ahead of schedule.
“There was also a fault with the plane but was it fixed,” he said.
Marial said the implementation of 2012 cooperation agreement between Sudan and South Sudan was among the items up for discussion.
“The two presidents addressed the groups of ministers at the meeting to start getting in touch, particularly on the quick implementation of the cooperation agreement,” said Bebjamin.
“The committees were instructed that they should resume their meetings and implementing as soon as possible,” he added.
The cooperation agreement, signed in Ethiopia, includes provisions on security, trade, oil and citizenship among others.
Both countries have accused each other of supporting armed groups fighting their regimes.
However, Benjamin said there was a renewed commitment from both countries to scrap alleged support to rebel groups.
“The two presidents reiterated that there is not any support that can ever be given to armed groups,” he said.
Sudan has been accused of providing support to South Sudanese rebels, who have been engaged in an armed struggle with the government since mid-December last year, while South Sudan is also accused of providing support to Southern-aligned rebels in Sudan’s peripheral regions.
Wearing his trademark wide-brimmed hat, President Kiir was embraced by waiting vice-president James Wani Igga and other cabinet ministers upon his arrival in Juba on Wednesday aboard a Kenyan Airways flight.
President Kiir appeared in good spirits despite unconfirmed reports suggesting that he collapsed while attempting to board a plane in Khartoum on Tuesday.
However, Benjamin said rumours surrounding the president’s ill-health were completely unfounded.
Rumours sparked on the social media about Kiir’s health after he slipped when he boarded a plane in Khartoum that had been due to fly him home on Tuesday.
Further, he had to delay his return to Juba on Wednesday, as his flight was cancelled due to a technical fault.
(ST)
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