Sudan FM to meet South Sudan President Friday
August 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Foreign Minister and chief mediator for the Khartoum Round of the South Sudan peace revitalization process will travel Friday to Juba to hand over a message from President Omer al-Bashir to his counterpart in Juba President Salva Kiir.
Minister El-Dirdeiry Mohamed Ahmed “will convey a message from President Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir to his brother, President Silva Kiir Mayardit, concerning the arrangements for the final signing of the Khartoum Agreement between the South Sudanese parties scheduled for the fifth of this month,” said a statement released by the foreign ministry on Thursday.
last Monday President Kiir received Sudanese defence minister and the director of intelligence and security services. The Presidency in Juba said they extended an invitation to President Kiir to take part in the signing ceremony of 5 August.
However, Khartoum, in fact, seeks to at this level of talks to discuss directly with President Kiir in a bid to get more concessions in favour of the opposition groups that reject the power-sharing and governance agreement.
President Kiir earlier this week asserted that he wants an inclusive peace agreement in the country.
The visiting minister will also meet with the First Vice President Taban Deng Gai and Vice President James Wani. Also, he will discuss bilateral relation with his South Sudanese counterpart.
In a related development, the leader of the third opposition umbrella Other Political Parties (OPP) Peter Mayen Majongdit who initialled the agreement on the outstanding issues on governance called on the Sudanese mediation to secure the release of prominent activist Peter Biar Ajak and threatened to not sign the agreement on 5 August if the political detainee is not released.
“We appeal to Sudan government and the mediators to intervene for the release of Biar because he is an activist and his arrest in Juba is politically motivated,” said Majongdit.
(ST)