Hailmarim meets Sudan’s Defense Minister

Addis Ababa, September 19 (WIC) - Acting Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met Sudan’s Defense Minister, Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein and a delegation of the Sudanese officials taking part in the AU mediated talks between Sudan and South Sudan on 18 September 18, 2012.

The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties and the ongoing peace talks and the Minister congratulated the acting premier on his election as EPRDF chairman.

He expressed his government’s hopes that Ethiopia’s new leadership will continue to lend its good offices to the peace talks between Sudan and South Sudan.
He urged the new leadership to follow in the footsteps of the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who had played a remarkable role in the signing of the CPA and the ongoing post-independence negotiations.

The Minister and the Chief Negotiator of Sudan, Idriss Abdul Gadir, briefed the acting premier on the progress of the achievements and the continuing problems.

The Chief Negotiator said agreements had been reached on almost all matters pertaining to oil and national debt issues. On security issues, however, there were differences over the temporary map submitted by the AU High Level Implementation Panel.

The chief negotiator reiterated the importance of resolving security as the basis for all other agreements. The delegation briefed the acting premier on the proposal submitted by Sudan to overcome the problems over security.

Hailemariam emphasized that Ethiopia would strongly continue to support the peace talks, and maintain its neutral and principled support to the two brotherly countries’ effort towards resolving their dispute.
He also stressed the importance of abiding by the decision of the Security Council to resolve security issues, and promised Ethiopia would also discuss Sudan’s proposal to narrow down differences and help the negotiations forward with South Sudan.