SPLM leadership authorizes Kiir to meet rebel leader in Tanzania

June 27- 2015 (JUBA)-The leadership of South Sudan’s governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) has passed a resolution authorizing President Salva Kiir to meet his main political rival and former deputy in government and party, Riek Machar, in Tanzania over reunification process.

Officials from the SPLM- in-Opposition and the group of former detainees announced that the two rival leaders will meet in Nairobi as delegations are arrived in Arusha to prepare a summit attended by regional leaders next Monday on the outstanding issues.

The deputy secretary-general of the ruling SPLM, Anne Itto said the special meeting of the political bureau held on Saturday has resolved to authorize Kiir to travel to Tanzania in the coming few days to meet Machar to discuss the full implementation of the Arusha Agreement.

“Comrade Chairman will be taking the message of the leadership of the SPLM to Riek about commitment of the leadership to full implementation of the Arusha reunification. We expect Riek to come home. So the president will talk to him about the return to Juba”, Itto told journalists shortly after conclusion of the leadership on Saturday.

The leading party official explained that the meeting between president Kiir and Machar will focus on the progress made in the implementation of the reunification agreement.

The Tanzania meeting, she said, will be attended by five heads of state from the region to talk to Riek about why he has not joined the Implementation of Arusha and why he has not come back to Juba.

The SPLM Political Bureau agreed to invite state governors and SPLM chairpersons to Juba for briefing on the progress of the Arusha Agreement.

The opposition faction says they want Arush reunification agreement transformed into a news SPLM constitution and basic documents. They also demand that the finalized interparty agreement be connected to Addis Ababa peace process.

A delegation of the former ‘former detainees’ led by Amum met on Thursday with Machar in Nairobi and agreed on the need for further bilateral intraparty dialogue in Arusha.

The leading figure of the former detainees Deng Alor who is also a member of the SPLM political bureau said brining peace and stability is the national priority and the reunification process aims to achieve this objective.

(ST)