(Ha'aretz) Ilan Lior and Barak Ravid - Israel is expected to recognize South Sudan as an independent state in the coming weeks, according to sources at the Foreign Ministry. South Sudan will declare its independence on Saturday. Israel plans to announce recognition immediately after the U.S. and EU countries do so. The Foreign Ministry has been exchanging secret messages with the government of South Sudan for a long time. In October 2010, the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, declared that Israel is not an enemy and that he will weigh diplomatic relations with it, including the opening of an Israeli embassy. Nearly 2,000 refugees from South Sudan are living in Israel and, following the establishment of diplomatic relations, Israel will seek to repatriate most of them.
2011-07-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive