ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- President Omar Hassan Al Bashir of Sudan and his South Sudan counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit are in Ethiopia for a summit to discuss bilateral ties after months-old tensions, the Ethiopian government announced here Sunday.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn had consultations with both leaders ahead of their talks, an Ethiopian official said.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Berhane Gebrekirstos told reporters that the discussion between Prime Minster Hailemariam and President Bashir was a consultation prior to the summit between the two presidents.
"There is going to be a summit this afternoon between the two heads of state, President Al Bashir and President Salva Kiir. So, this is a consultation with Prime Minister Hailemariam prior to the summit. So, right now, President Bashir met with Prime Minister Hailemariam just to consult on how to move and discussing some issues," said Berhane.
In response to the question about the prospect of the summit, the state minister said, "Well, the points are on the table, and I think they are going to deal with the substantive issue in the afternoon, and we shall see how it goes and we are quite hopeful and optimistic that things will move forward."
For the question whether Ethiopia's new prime minister holds similar consultations with President Salva Kiir, Berhane said, "Yes, he has been having consultations with both of them last few days."
KHARTOUM, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The summit between Sudan and South Sudan presidents, slated for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday is viewed as a means for the two sides to achieve a breakthrough to avoid international sanctions as the period availed by the UN Security council (UNSC) for the two countries to reach an agreement elapses Saturday.
The UNSC, in its earlier resolution 2046, threatened to impose sanctions on both countries if they failed to resolve their outstanding issues and sign an agreement in that regard. Full story
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