No face-to-face talks with S Sudan president: Machar
Iran Press TV
Tue Dec 31, 2013 3:58PM GMT
South Sudanese rebel leader, Riek Machar, says he is not ready for face-to-face peace talks with President Salva Kiir in negotiations set to be held in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
Machar, a former vice president who is currently leading anti-government forces, said on Tuesday that he would not personally attend the talks but had nonetheless sent a high-level delegation.
He also noted that a demand by African leaders for an immediate ceasefire needs to be negotiated.
'That is what the delegation is going to Addis Ababa to discuss and to negotiate,' he said, adding that the chance of him meeting with the South Sudan president in person 'depends on how the negotiations go.'
The remarks came shortly after the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said Machar and Kiir were set to hold direct talks later in the day in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian officials confirmed that delegations from both sides were due to land in Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union, later in the day with talks expected to start on Wednesday.
'I will follow later, once the negotiations have resulted in a cessation of hostilities. It depends on if and when that is achieved,' Machar said.
He accused the South Sudanese government of beginning the two-week-long fighting in the country, urging Juba to release several key opposition leaders arrested after the outbreak of violence on December 15.
Machar is accused of attempting to stage a coup against the government.
South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, gained independence in July 2011, after its people overwhelmingly voted in a referendum for a split from the North.
MRS/PR/SS
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