Sudan and South Sudan to resume talks on 29th May


Delegations from Sudan and South Sudan are expected to resume talks next Tuesday in Addis Ababa over the disputed issues.

The chairman of the African Union High Level Panel on Sudan, Thabo Mbeki, met Tuesday 22 May with Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir after his return from Juba where he met president salva Kiir Mayadrit.

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Mbeki announced that the parties will resume discussions next week without further details on the positions of the two countries or what they are going to talk about. While Khartoum repeats security issues should be first Juba has rejectes any conditions.

Sources have disclosed that delegations headed by defense and interior ministers from the two countries will meet at the level of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) in Addis Ababa next Tuesday 29 May.

The meeting, which will discuss the implementation of security agreements the parties have already signed, will be attended also by the directors of the intelligence services from both sides.

Speaking to reporters after his first meeting with the Sudanese president on 20 May Mbeki said that Bashir reiterated his commitment to the buffer zone.

"This means Sudan is committed to have a buffer zone on the border between the two states, 10 kilometers on each side, and also Sudan is committed to have a joint mechanism for monitoring the border and the buffer zone," he said.