U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday called for forming a transitional government in South Sudan to help resolve the crisis in the world's newest state.
"There have been difficulties in the governance and that is why a transitional government is needed to restore the trust and resolve all these issues," Kerry told a press conference in Juba following talks with President Salva Kiir.
The top U.S. diplomat said that Kiir is open to meet sacked vice president Riek Machar for talks aimed at resolving the South Sudanese crisis.
"Kiir has been open and has shown a willingness to travel to Addis Ababa next week and meet the Ethiopian Prime Minister and possibly meet Machar," Kerry said.
"The meeting of these two leaders is very critical," he added.
South Sudan has been shaken by violence since last December, when Kiir accused Machar of leading a failed coup attempt against his regime.
The conflict has already claimed more than 10,000 lives, with the U.N. estimating that some one million South Sudanese have already been displaced by the violence.
Kerry arrived in Juba from Addis Ababa earlier Friday for talks with South Sudanese leaders on ways of solving the crisis in the country.
"I came to south Sudan to discuss real issues,” Kerry told reporters.
"I made it very clear to him (Kiir) that he should do everything in his power to bring peace and also to begin real discussion of a transition government and national political dialogue in order to bring peace to the country," he said.
-Sanctions-
Kerry has renewed U.S. threats of imposing sanctions on South Sudanese officials blocking efforts to restore peace to the country.
"The US is preparing to put sanctions on the people who are blocking peace, killing innocent people, preaching ethnic hatred speeches," he said.
"The sanctions will be travel sanctions, businesses, blocking of assets and many others. They will be given to people who are a threat to peace."
The top U.S. diplomat went on to call on South Sudan's warring parties to facilitate humanitarian work in the country.
"Both sides need to provide protection and facilitate humanitarian workers to reach everybody in need," Kerry said.
"Both sides must stop attacks on humanitarian workers. Both the rebels and government must honor the cessation of hostilities both parties signed. The future of the people of South Sudan cannot be held hostage because of the rivalry."
Kerry vowed to bring people involved in committing atrocities in South Sudan to accountability.
"There will be accountability for all atrocities in the coming days," he said.
"The people of south Sudan have struggled a lot and made sacrifices back in the long civil war up to the day they got independence. The dedication I saw of the people of South Sudan deserves to be fully respected and it is critical to prevent that moment of independence from being destroyed."
By Okech Francis
englishnews@aa.com.tr
