Sudan, South Sudan set April 3 for summit

KHARTOUM - Sudan and South Sudan on Thursday agreed to hold the much-anticipated summit, attended by their presidents, on April 3 in the South Sudanese capital of Juba.

A high-level delegation of South Sudan arrived in Khartoum on Thursday and delivered the formal invitation to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

"We have agreed on April 3 for holding the summit in Juba... The joint committees will begin preparation for the summit topics today," Pagan Amum, head of the delegation, told reporters following their meeting with al-Bashir.

He reiterated the willingness of both sides to achieve a comprehensive peace deal, saying "the meeting reaffirmed the importance of finding solutions to all the outstanding issues and preparing the atmosphere for establishing positive relations between the two countries."

The South Sudanese delegation's visit came only two days after the Sudanese army said it had noticed some activities by rebel groups preparing to launch a wide-range attack in restive South Kordofan. The army also accused the South Sudanese government of directly supporting these groups.

Sudan and South Sudan, under the mediation of the African Union, reached a framework agreement in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on March 13, dealing with their outstanding issues including border demarcation and citizens' rights.