Juba ready to mediate between Khartoum, rebels

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Friday said his country is ready to mediate between Sudan and the rebels in its South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.Kiir Mayardit and his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir held a joint press conference Friday at the conclusion of their meeting in Juba, capital of South Sudan."We are ready to propose an initiative to convince Sudan People 's Liberation Army's (SPLA) northern sector to come to the negotiation table with the Sudanese government," said Kiir Mayardit.He vowed to work together with al-Bashir to settle all the outstanding issues between the two countries, stressing the importance of dialogue in achieving the goal.Al-Bashir, for his part, reiterated his country's willingness to fully normalize relations with South Sudan.He said his visit to South Sudan would boost the bilateral relations, reiterating the importance for the two sides to implement their existing agreements.He further disclosed that Kiir Mayardit will visit Khartoum soon.In the meantime, the two sides issued a joint communique in which they pledged full commitment to implementing the cooperation agreement signed between them in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in late March.Al-Bashir on Friday arrived in South Sudan in his first visit to the country since his participation in the celebrations of its independence in July 2011.Relations between Sudan and South Sudan recently witnessed remarkable improvement after the two signed a deal to implement their security agreement in early March and later started withdrawing forces from the joint border to establish a demilitarized zone.