The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in the Vatican says President Salva Kiir told him he is ready to allow a third force for Dr Riek Machar.

Cardinal Peter Turkson Appiah on Tuesday met with President Salva Kiir and handed over to him a written letter from Pope Francis.

He also handed over the letter meant for the First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar to the Catholic Archbishop of Juba, Paulino Lukudu Loro, because Riek Machar was nowhere to be found.

While addressing a press conference at the end of his two-day visit to Juba Tuesday, Cardinal Turkson said he discussed with the President the African Union proposal to deploy a regional force to South Sudan.

“The President says yes he is ready to welcome him [Riek Machar] back and he is also ready to see that any other third security force or a security company or group or whatever for him, for his movement or whatever,” Cardinal Turkson said.

“But this should not be a whole army that comes to stay in South Sudan.”

The Minister of Information, Michael Makuei Lueth, could not immediately confirm the outcome of the meeting of the cardinal and the President.

On Monday, African leaders agreed to deploy a protection force in South Sudan.

However, President Salva Kiir says he will not accept even a single foreign soldier to enter South Sudan.

On the position of the Vatican on the deployment of regional force to South Sudan, the Cardinal said the Vatican does not believe in military solution, but believes in political solution:

“Elsewhere there have been conflicts, the position of the Pope has always been ‘let’s trust in political solution than armed conflict solution’.”