Bashir, Salva optimistic about Khartoum talks

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Saturday lead the first top-level delegation to Khartoum since southern secession, with key unresolved issues on the agenda, including oil and borders. These and the ongoing conflict in Sudan’s border region between the army and rebel militiamen with historic ties to the south have heavily strained north-south relations. But after one-to-one talks on Saturday, both presidents pledged to work together for peace and stability, and to put the years of conflict behind them. Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan, said he is confident that both Sudan and South Sudan will come to an agreement over all pending issues that need discussion. Bashir reaffirmed Sudan’s seriousness and care for solving those issues, while South Sudan President Salva Kiir said he is optimistic about his visit to Khartoum and has high hopes for coming to an agreement over those urgent pending issues. South Sudan proclaimed formal independence from the north on July 9, after more than two decades of devastating civil war, a conflict fuelled by religion, ethnicity, ideology and resources such as oil, that left the south in ruins. Negotiations to regulate Sudan’s political and economic division, both prior to and since partition, have made only limited progress. Joint committees on security, economy, borders and Abyei held closed meetings ahead of talks between the two leaders, but it was not clear whether any new accords were reached. Kiir is accompanied by South Sudan’s minister of cabinet affairs, Deng Alor, as well as the oil, finance, national security and foreign ministers. "We are privileged by the warm reception that we received," he said. "We are here to visit whatever problems that have not been resolved... We on our side we will not let you down," Kiir added. Diplomats in Khartoum say they are doubtful about the likelihood of any landmark agreements, instead viewing the two-day visit as a confidence-building exercise that could lead to meaningful negotiations in the coming weeks. Others hope that a breakthrough can be made especially on oil, most of which is produced in the south, and possibly on the future status of Abyei, which was occupied by the Sudanese army in May. Bashir, who attended the independence ceremony in Juba as a guest of honour, said last week that South Sudan was a "top priority" for the Khartoum government. On Saturday, he promised to keep Sudan’s ports open to the south for imports and exports "according to international standards," and to work with the south to secure their shared borders. But despite such pledges of future cooperation, neither side has so far shown any intention of making serious compromises on any of the key outstanding issues since partition.