Khartoum says ready for summit with Juba to implement cooperation deal

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday reiterated his readiness to hold a summit with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit anytime and anywhere to expedite implementation of a cooperation deal signed by the two countries in September.“We have reiterated our willingness to implement the cooperation agreement signed between Sudan and South Sudan in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa. We are ready to meet with Salva Kiir anytime and anywhere,” said al-Bashir at a joint press conference with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn who is currently visiting Khartoum.He commended Ethiopia’s role in exploring a comprehensive settlement for the outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan.The Ethiopian prime minister, for his part, vowed to work with the two sides to achieve peace and stability in the two countries, saying “We are committed to continuing to work closely with the two leaders to bring peace and stability to both Sudan and South Sudan.”“We have agreed that the implementation of the agreement signed in Addis Ababa in September has to be expedited,” he said, adding that “We also agreed that discussions should resume quickly between the two leaders and therefore they can map out the future of their relationship and the peaceful resolution of all the issues through dialogue and discussions.”Desalegn on Wednesday arrived in Khartoum for a two-day visit.Ethiopia has played an important role in mediating the outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan. On Sept. 27, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in Addis Ababa of Ethiopia.Witnessed by the members of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession issues.