Juba, September 18, 2015 (SSNA) — South Sudan’s Information Minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, on Friday told reporters in Juba that Salva Kiir will not attend the 29th of September UN-sponsored meeting because the United Nations (UN) has been treating Kiir like a “schoolboy.”
The surprise announcement stunned some reporters as the visibly furious Minister lectured the community of nations on what he thinks are the best ways to invite South Sudanese President.
"You cannot just invite a president and give him short notice like a schoolboy to come and attend your meetings, Makuey told reporters.
The Minister also thinks that the United States may only give Kiir Visa and denies or hinders visas to some members of Kiir’s delegation.
"Going to America, as you know is a problem, in terms of visa. Yes they can give the president the visa, but they can obstruct the going of others who are accompanying the president, so in order to avoid all this embarrassment, the Vice President James Wani Igga is going to attend," he asserted.
Makuey did not elaborate further on why he believes the US could prevent some government officials from attending the meeting.
UN’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has invited South Sudan’s rivals to attend a UN meeting in New York. The summit is designed to bolster the implementation of the recently signed IGAD-Plus’s compromise peace agreement.
Rebel leader Dr. Riek Machar accepted the invitation. However, Kiir said he is not going to attend, saying his deputy, James Wani Igga, will participate in the conference.
Meanwhile, the South Sudan News Agency (SSNA) has been told by high-level government sources that Salva Kiir fears that if he travels to the US, his powerful allies like the SPLA Chief of General Staff Paul Malong Awan and many others who dislike the internationally-backed power-sharing deal could overthrow him.