Khartoum, April 10 (NNN-SUNA) South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki is due to begin on Tuesday a two-day visit to Sudan to hold talks with President Omer Al-Bashir on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

In a press statement to SUNA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Ali Al-Saddiq said that President Mbeki would also visit Juba city to meet First Vice-President and President of the Government of South Sudan, Salva Kiir.

He added that President Mbeki would be briefed on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended hostilities in southern Sudan and on the efforts being adopted in the fields of rehabilitation and construction and the re-settlement of the refugees and displaced people.

It was also disclosed here Monday that as part of an African tour, the United States Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte, will arrive here Thursday for a three-day visit to Sudan.

SUNA learned that the US official would hold talks with Foreign Minister Dr. Lam Akol on bilateral relations and on developments in Sudan including the Darfur issue in which the US has been pressing Khartoum to allow United Nations peacekeepers to be based in that region. T

The American diplomat is to visit to Darfur as well as South Sudan and meet a number of government officials there.