Khartoum - Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir can expect a "warm welcome" when
he arrives in South Sudan on Friday for talks with his counterpart Salva
Kiir, official media said as tensions ease after last year's border clashes.
Bashir will be making his first journey over the disputed frontier since he
attended South Sudan's independence celebrations on 9 July 2011, following a
near-unanimous referendum vote for separation after a 22-year civil war.
Officials from both countries on Tuesday confirmed Bashir's trip to South
Sudan but gave no details.
"President Bashir will discuss in his visit with Salva Kiir the relations
between the two countries and how to develop and continue these relations
for the benefit of both nations," the official SUNA news agency quoted
Mutrif Siddiq, Khartoum's ambassador to the Southern capital Juba, as
saying.
"The visit of President Bashir will receive a warm welcome in Juba from the
government and the people of South Sudan," Siddiq said.
Independence left key issues unresolved between the impoverished neighbours,
including how much the South should pay for shipping its oil through
Sudanese pipelines for export.
South Sudan stopped all of its crude production early last year, cutting off
most of its revenue after accusing Khartoum of theft.
The two nations then battled on their undemarcated border, prompting Sudan
to cancel an April 2012 summit which had been planned between the two
presidents.
Fighting raised fears of wider war, and intermittent clashes continued in
subsequent months.
Oil production
But at talks in Addis Ababa in March, Sudan and South Sudan finally settled
on detailed timetables to improve relations by resuming the oil flows and
implementing eight other key pacts including one for a demilitarised border
buffer zone.
The deals had remained dormant after signing in September as Khartoum pushed
for guarantees that South Sudan would no longer back rebels fighting in
South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.
Since timetables were agreed, official delegations from the two countries
have held a series of meetings to begin implementing the pacts.
Kiir telephoned Bashir after the Addis timetables were reached, inviting him
for a visit. Bashir agreed but no date had been confirmed until Tuesday.
Last Saturday, South Sudan held a ceremony to restart oil production, which
official Sudanese media said would be shipped again from Port Sudan in the
north by the end of May.
Following these developments, Bashir's visit occurs "in a positive
environment", Siddiq said.
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Received on Thu Apr 11 2013 - 17:04:20 EDT
