Kenyan, South Sudan leaders hold talks over peace deal

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Thursday held talks with visiting South Sudan President Salva Kiir to discuss peace process. A statement issued after the meeting in Nairobi said President Kiir who appreciated Kenya's role in the Sudan peace process appealed to Nairobi to continue assisting in the resolution of the remaining issues in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). "The President of South Sudan pointed out that the main outstanding issues of the CPA are resolution of conflicts in Abyei, South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile States," the statement said. President Kiir said the full demarcation of the North-South border and that of Abyei has also not been concluded, adding that agreements on post-CPA issues including citizenship and nationality, national debt, sharing of assets and resources are also not finalized. The two leaders also discussed the peace and security situation in South Sudan and agreed on the need to step up measures to ensure peace and stability is maintained. President Kibaki, who is the chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) sub-committee on Sudan, said Kenya would continue assisting the South Sudan in capacity building mainly in the education, agriculture and other technical sectors. On infrastructure, President Kibaki said the construction of Lamu Port- South Sudan –Ethiopia Transport corridor will further boost cooperation between Kenya and South Sudan.