Sudan says Ugandan president to agree on normalizing ties during visit
September 14, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government said that it has completed preparations for a historic visit by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to Khartoum on Tuesday and revealed that he will sign a joint statement with President Omer Hassan al-Bashir that will put bilateral relations that have long been strained on the right track.
In the latest escalation between the two countries, Sudanese officials accused Kampala last month of masterminding a session in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa between members of the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) and Sudanese opposition figures.
An angry Khartoum said this meeting is contrary to diplomatic norms.
The Sudanese presidential assistant Ibrahim Mahmoud said they are confident that the two-day visit will create a big breakthrough both internally and in Africa.
He described it as one of the most important visits especially since Sudan is seeking to bolster its relations with all African countries and especially Uganda since it is hosting anti-Khartoum rebels.
The Sudanese minister of state at the Foreign Ministry Kamal Ismail told journalists that the joint declaration to be signed between the two presidents will pave the way for a better future in bilateral ties.
The foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadiq told Sudan Tribune that the two leaders will hold closed-door talks on Tuesday evening, followed by joint ministerial meetings and a dinner banquet.
Al-Sadiq said that they will sign two agreements on higher education and youth after which a joint communiqué will be read followed by a news conference.
He added that the Ugandan president will pay visits to a hospital and a university in Khartoum on Wednesday morning and will also give a lecture that afternoon at the Friendship Hall titled “Democratic developments in the African continent”.
(ST)