South Sudan president arrives in Khartoum for talks

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir arrived in Khartoum on Wednesday for talks with Sudanese officials.

Kiir was welcomed upon arrival at Khartoum airport by his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir. The two leaders are expected to hold summit talks later in the day.

“The two presidents will set a roadmap for full normalization of ties and solving the pending issues between the two countries,” South Sudan’s Information Minister Michael Makuei told reporters.

Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman, for his part, termed Kiir’s visit to Khartoum as “historic”, voicing hope that the visit will help end “misunderstanding” between the two neighboring states.

Osman said ministers of both countries were finalizing a number of agreements that will be signed by during Kiir’s two-day visit.

“We are confident that the visit will solve the entire pending issues between the two sides,” he said.

In 2011, South Sudan split from Sudan after a referendum the same year in the country.

Two years after separation, a civil war broke out in South Sudan between government and opposition forces.

Since South Sudan seceded from Sudan, differences have continued to dog the two countries, especially over the disputed Abyei region and oil transit fees that Juba pays to Khartoum.

Earlier this week, Khartoum and Juba agreed to reactivate a bilateral security agreement -- following a five-year hiatus -- that calls for the establishment of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) along their shared borders.