July 28, 2013 (JUBA)- South Sudan said on Sunday that its newly appointed Foreign Affairs Minister will not participate in an African Union (AU) meeting set to discuss the cooperation agreement it signed with neighbouring Sudan.
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- South Sudan foreign minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin
Instead the country will be represented by Ambassador Arop Kuol who is accredited to the AU. The International Cooperation Minister and Spokesperson of the South Sudan Foreign Minister, Ambassador Mawien Makol revealed this to the Sudan Tribune in an exclusive interview yesterday.
“There are certain arrangements which are supposed to be done. The swearing in of the new minister is one of things supposed to be done. The other thing is that we got the information late and we tried to make some arrangements but which did not work.
The undersecretary was supposed to travel this [yesterday] evening at around 5: 00 o'clock but he did not go. So the leadership has decided to delegate Ambassador Arop Kuol to represent the country at the meeting”, Ambassador Makol told Sudan Tribune.
Makol said the AU meeting will, among others, discuss South Sudan's relations and the cooperation agreement with Sudan.
“The information we have is that the meeting would discuss regional issues with the focus on our relations with the government of Sudan, especially the difficulties being faced in the implementation of the cooperation agreement”, Makol explained.
President Salva Kiir in decrees issued last week relieved his Vice President Riek Machar and cabinet off their duties.
Kiir has however since issued an order appointing former Information Minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin as the country's new foreign affairs minister. Maria's lone appointment has been interpreted as a move by the President to fill a gap that had been left in the foreign affairs ministry thus paralysing contact with foreign relations and diplomatic missions.
(ST)