JStone
Rookie
- Jun 29, 2011
- 13,374
- 254
- 0
- Banned
- #1
Israel Will Send Development Mission To South Sudan.
Jerusalem will send a government delegation to South Sudan shortly to see how Israel can help the development of the fledgling country, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Tuesday.
Kiir, on one of his first visits abroad since South Sudan declared independence in July, arrived after midnight Tuesday for a working visit of less than 24 hours. Diplomatic officials in Jerusalem said the South Sudanese requested that the visit be kept at a low profile. As a result, there were no public statements.
Before meeting Netanyahu, Kiir visited Yad Vashem and also met with President Shimon Peres. According to a statement put out by Peres office, Kiir was effusive of his praise of Israel during his meeting.
I am very moved to be in Israel and to walk on the soil of the Promised Land, and with me are all South Sudanese people, Kiir was quoted as saying. Israel has always supported the South Sudanese people. Without you, we would not have arisen. You struggled alongside us in order to allow the establishment of South Sudan and we are interested in learning from your experience.
During their meeting, Peres reminded Kiir that when he was deputy defense minister in the 1960s, he met along with then prime minister Levi Eshkol in Paris with local leaders from southern Sudan, and provided them with assistance in agriculture and infrastructure development.
Israel has supported, and will continue to support, your country in all areas in order to strengthen and develop it, Peres said. He termed the birth of South Sudan a milestone in the history of the Middle East
Israel will send development miss... JPost - Diplomacy & Politics