Khartoum - Abed Algayom Ashmeag
Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Ahmed Karti
Negotiations between Sudan and Sudan South are expected to resume on Friday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, according to Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Ahmed Karti. However, Karti told state radio
on Friday morning that \"time [for negotiations] is not right,” especially after the recent crisis in Addis Ababa when the South refused to sign the agreement prepared by the mediators.
“Hopefully, this session can be postponed, and we can agree on a date to resume it soon, to tackle issues other than oil, such as borders, water, security, and the southern citizens living in the north,” Karti stated.
The Foreign Minister said that his government “will not deal harshly with the southern citizens in its territory, and will not treat them like unwanted groups”. He explained: \"Sudan is keen on dealing with this issue in its humanitarian and social framework, away from politics, especially since there are a lot of southerners who have no desire of going to the South and living there.”
The northern minister hit back South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardi giving northern citizens living in the south South Sudanese nationality saying: “We do not do the things that Salva Kiir does.”
He suggested that “the South could be granting their nationality to Sudanese people to bring about a state of political confusion in Sudan. In addition, (the South) may aim at making it easier for some to exercise activities hostile to Sudan.”