Bashir meets UN envoy hours before South Sudan’s Gai arrival to Khartoum
August 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Saturday has met with the UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, just hours ahead of South Sudan’s First Vice-President Taban Deng arrival in Khartoum.
In press statements following the meeting, Haysom said he discussed with al-Bashir regional issues particularly the situation in South Sudan as well as the outstanding issues between Juba and Khartoum.
He added they also discussed progress in the national dialogue besides the role played by the East African regional bloc (IGAD) in the region and the continent in general.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Gharib Allah Khidir told the official news agency (SUNA) that First Vice-President Gai would arrive in Khartoum on Sunday in a three-day visit.
Former Vice-President Riek Machar left South Sudan over fears for his safety after government forces mounted a military offensive hunting for him after he fled the capital Juba when fighting broke out between 8-11 July.
President Salva Kiir later sacked him as first vice-president and replaced him with Taban Deng Gai, one of his senior officials in his movement before falling out with him after failing appointment of oil ministry.
Khidir added that Gai would be accompanied by a senior delegation including defence and oil ministers besides the director of military intelligence, saying they would discuss with al-Bashir and his First Vice-President Bakri Hassan Salih the ongoing developments in South Sudan.
“This is an important visit given that Taban Deng had participated in the recent IGAD summit and he visited some member states [of the regional bloc],” he said.
Khidir stressed that Sudan would continue to make efforts to converge views among the warring parties in South Sudan within the framework of IGAD’s vision and resolutions in order to achieve peace and stability in the neighbouring nation.
Last Tuesday, Gai briefed the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on the efforts to implement the peace agreement in South Sudan particularly with regard to the security arrangements.
He is expected to seek Khartoum support an agreement he reached with President Salva Kiir providing to integrate all the SPLA-Io troops from now on wards before the end of the transitional period.
(ST)