White House welcomes upcoming talks to end conflict in South Sudan

The White House said on Tuesday that it welcomed an agreement to peace talks by South Sudan government and rebel leader to end weeks of bloody conflict in the world's youngest country. The two sides will send representatives to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for talks mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in the coming days, Caitlin Hayden, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement. Hayden also urged South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar to take immediate steps to end conflict. "We continue to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities to stabilize the situation and permit full humanitarian access to civilian populations, which remain in dire need of assistance," Hayden said. The United States remains "deeply concerned" by the fragile situation in South Sudan, the spokesperson added.