China on state visit to South Sudan

China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is on a state visit to South Sudan, a first for the newly independent country. Yang met with President Salva Kiir in Juba, to discuss South Sudan's future.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Yang said: “There's a bright future for China and South Sudan and for our relationship. So I wish the Sudanese people every success."

He added: "Our two economies are there for each other and we want to see good co-operation in such areas like agriculture, infrastructure construction, oil production."

Earlier this week, Yang held talks with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. China has always had strong ties with Sudan's president, despite claims of war crimes in Darfur.

South Sudan's Foreign Minister Deng Alor said Yang's visit would "set in motion a special relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Sudan".

Alor added: “As a newly independent nation we definitely need a country like China to help us in development of our infrastructure, of our agriculture, vocational system and many areas."

Meanwhile, Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti has announced that Sudan has granted China more oil exploration rights, following Yang's meeting with Bashir Monday 8th August.

He said: "President Bashir has granted the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) three promising new petroleum blocs and offered a partnership with the national petroleum company Sudapet in the fields where it operates.”

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, AFP

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Qadhafi urges Southerners to remain part of united Sudan

Colonel Qadhafi has said that Southern Sudanese would be better united than independent from their Northern counterparts. Qadhafi, who was one of the key supporters of the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) since its inception in the 1980s, has urged the Southerners to remain united with the North in the upcoming self-determination referendum.

"As for south Sudan, the matter depends on referendum, even though I advice brothers in the south to stay with the great Sudan instead of a dwarf country in the south" said Qadhafi.

According to a number of in-country sources the South Sudan president, and SPLM chairman, Salva Kiir was assured by Colonel Qadhafi of his support for southern Sudan's independence, and informed that if the Southerners vote for independence “they shouldn't be frightened of anybody” because he “will stand with them”.

Kiir added that Qadhafi stated that the British colonial power made a mistake when they allowed South Sudan to be part of the North back in 1956, and quoted the Libya leader as saying that “they should have been separated either to become an independent state or join any country in east Africa”.

Colonel Qadhafi has since reiterated that he would support the independence of South Sudan, if its citizens decide so in the 2011 referendum, most notably in a meeting with Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) leader Khalil Ibrahim, but it appears the Colonel has changed his mind once again.

Source: Sudan Tribute

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